Benji Gregory, the former child star best known for his role in 1980s sitcom “Alf,” has died at 46.
His sister Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger shared the news in a Facebook post.
“It is with a heavy heart my family has suffered a loss way too early,” she wrote.
“Ben was a great son, brother and uncle. He was fun to be around and made us laugh quite often. Still, going through his things, I find myself laughing at little videos or notes of his, in between crying,” his sister said.
Hertzberg-Pfaffinger said Gregory was found dead in his car on June 13, alongside his beloved service dog Hans, who also died. It is believed Gregory went to a bank to deposit some residual checks and never got out of the car to do so.
“He fell asleep and died from vehicular heatstroke,” Hertzberg-Pfaffinger said.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office in Arizona told TMZ an official cause of death is still pending.
Gregory’s cousin, Camille Jazzy Jenkins, also spoke out on Facebook, saying her family “has lost one of the most beloved and wonderful men in our small circle.”
“It has taken some time to process and come to terms with our loss,” Jenkins said. “We are not okay, but take comfort knowing he is with his grandmothers.”
Jenkins and Hertzberg-Pfaffinger shared a string of photos of Gregory in their posts.
His sister told TMZ that Gregory dealt with depression and bipolar disorder, and also had a sleep condition that often kept him awake for days.