FORMER child actor Jeffrey Louis Starr has died at the age of 61.
The Bad News Bears actor reportedly passed away after dealing with a brutal illness.
Childhood actor Jeffrey Louis Starr has died aged 61 after battling a ‘serious illness’[/caption]
Starr appeared in two sequels in the hit baseball comedy movie series Bad News Bears[/caption]
The late actor Starr died inside a hospital in Carbondale, Illinois, TMZ reported on Saturday.
He passed away last month with his family by his side, the outlet added.
Starr had been battling a serious illness leading up to his death, family sources told TMZ.
Starr’s brother, Kevin, shared a tribute post on Facebook just one day after his death, mentioning that he was “sick for several years.
“The world got a little darker yesterday with the passing of my Best Friend and Brother,” he wrote.
“Jeff lived an amazing life and shared his life with countless people, Jeff never met a stranger and helped so many people throughout the years.”
Kevin also shared that “depression is one of the biggest killers in the world”
“Our family has suffered so many losses in the past but we must push through,’ he continued in the post, before asking others close to the actor to keep his family ‘in their prayers,” he added.
“I Love you so much little Brother and I’ll see you on the other side.”
Starr’s official cause of death has not been revealed.
The late actor is survived by wife Linda and their two sons, Brandon and Jacob.
Starr starred in two sequels to the 1976 hit movie Bad News Bears, including The Bad News Bears In Breaking Training (1977) and The Bad News Bears Go To Japan (1978).
He replaced Gary Lee Cavagnaro and starred alongside some celebrity stars such as Tony Curtis and William Devane.
Starr portrayed the character of Mike Engelberg in both films.
The sports comedy’s premised followed, “An aging, down-on-his-luck ex-minor leaguer who coaches a team of misfits in an ultra-competitive California little league,” per IMDB.
The Bad News Bears sequels are the only acting credits listed under Starr’s name, according to his official IMDB page.
Starr became a deacon in 2010 at the Mill Creek Baptish Curch, per his obituary.
He was also a “proud member of the Screen Actors Guild and a longtime member of the Moose Lodge #1346 in Anna.”
