The immensely tragic death of Benji Gregory, Alf child star, at 46

He was one of the stars of 80s television thanks to his character Brian Tanner in the legendary series 'Alf' (1986-1990). Almost 40 years later, the former child actor has died under strange circumstances.

Photo: NBC

Benji Gregory was found dead inside his car in a Chase Bank parking lot in Peoria, Arizona. His sister, Rebecca, confirmed the tragic news to TMZ. Gregory was 46 years old.

Photo: benji_gregory / Instagram

Although the actor had died on June 13, 2024, the information about his death was only made public about a month later.

Photo: benji_gregory / Instagram

The reason for the late announcement is the fact that police had to investigate the cause of death of the former child star in the weeks following his demise.

At this time, Police and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office have determined that the cause of death of Benji Gregory, 46, was heat stroke.

Photo: benji_gregory / Instagram

In the Arizona town where his car was parked, it was particularly hot around that time.

The investigation concluded that the former actor fell asleep inside the vehicle and did not notice how warm it was getting. Both he and his dog, also in the car, lost their lives.

Photo: benji_gregory / Instagram

Rebecca, the deceased's sister, confirmed to TMZ that her brother suffered from depression, bipolar disorder, and a sleep disorder. This combination of illnesses caused him to be awake for days and then crash from fatigue.

Photo: benji_gregory / Instagram

The accumulated fatigue, combined with the medication he was taking, caused him to fall asleep in the car without realizing the dangers.

Photo: benji_gregory / Instagram

It's a very tragic scenario, even if it's an alternative to the theory that he would have taken his own life or overdosed.

Image: Kenny Eliason / Unsplash

Benji Gregory appeared in 101 episodes of the NBC comedy 'Alf,' in which he played the youngest child of the family, Brian Tanner.

After ending the series in 1990, the actor tried to continue his acting career but didn't have much luck.

Photo: benji_gregory / Instagram

Then, in 2003, he enlisted in the United States Navy. The publication Marca notes that he was assigned to the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), a ship at sea and a crew in action regularly during the Iraq War.

Image: Jeffrey F Lin / Unsplash

A combination of mental illness and, perhaps, traumas from the past, caused the former child actor and Navy vet to fail to take care of himself.

Photo: benji_gregory / Instagram

The strange circumstances surrounding his death have forced the authorities to keep the demise of the celebrity a secret for almost a month.

A month later, it is known that his death was the result of lethal coincidences: illness, medication, fatigue, and extreme heat.

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