‘ALF’ producers grieve ‘indescribable loss’ of actor Benji Gregory

Alien Productions, the production company behind the 90s sitcom ALF, fondly remembered the show’s child star Benji Gregory after news of his shocking death broke on Thursday.

Gregory, who portrayed Brian Tanner on the show from 1986 to 1990, and his service dog, Hans, were found dead in his car in Arizona on June 13, his sister Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger announced Wednesday on Facebook. He was 46.

“The whole ALF family mourns the indescribable loss of Benji Gregory,” the production company captioned a photo of a young Gregory on Gordon Shumway’s (aka ALf) official Instagram page Thursday.

“Benji was an essential part of ALF and lives in the hearts of the fans, many of whom grew up alongside him. We share in our grief with those who knew and loved him,” the statement ended.

Hertzberg-Pfaffinger clarified to TMZ that Gregory and his pug were found deceased in a Chase Bank parking lot in Peoria.

“We believe he went there the evening of the 12th to deposit some residuals. (Found in his car) and never got out of the car to do so,” she wrote on Facebook. “He fell asleep and died from vehicular heatstroke.”

Maricopa County Senior Communications Officer told Newsweek that Gregory’s cause and manner of death are still pending additional investigation.

TMZ reports Hertzberg-Pfaffinger claimed her late brother suffered from depression and bipolar disorder. She also said her brother had a sleep disorder that often kept him awake for days.

In May, Gregory posted photos of his Arizona license plates to Facebook. His alleged former plate read “BYPOLR” while his “current” one said “DEPRESED.” His Instagram bio also reads, “Lover of dogs, traveling, late-night runs, music, podcasts, Navy, bipolar, major depression disorder.”

Hertzberg-Pfaffinger went on to describe Gregory in her Facebook tribute as a “great son, brother, and uncle” who “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,” she added.

After Alf, Gregory made appearances in other TV shows, including Murphy Brown, The A-Team, The Twilight Zone, Punky Brewster, and in The More You Know series of public service announcements.

He retired from acting in 1993 and joined the Navy in 2003. He was honorably discharged in 2005 due to medical issues.

Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com