A cause of death has been confirmed for former child star Benji Gregory three months after he was discovered dead in his car in Arizona.
The 46-year-old actor — known for his role on ’80s sitcom “ALF” — died an accidental death due to environmental heat exposure, according to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner.
Gregory died “in the setting of hepatic cirrhosis,” per the report, indicating long-term damage had caused scarring on his liver. It’s unclear what contributed to the cirrhosis.
Gregory’s death was announced by his sister Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger in a July 10 Facebook post, which said the actor was found dead in his car on June 13, “along with his beloved service dog Hans.”
Gregory had gone to a Chase Bank in Peoria to deposit residual checks, but seemingly fell asleep in his car in the stifling heat and never woke up.
At the time, Arizona was reportedly enduring its hottest June on record, with temperatures in nearby Phoenix averaging 97 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
According to his sister, the “Back to the Future” voice actor had a number of other health issues, including a sleep disorder that kept him awake for days at a time. He also suffered from bipolar disorder and depression, she told TMZ.
Born on May 26, 1978, Gregory began acting at the age of 5, booking roles on shows such as “Fantasy Island,” “The A-Team,” “T.J. Hooker” and “The Twilight Zone.” Most famously, he played middle son Brian Tanner in 101 episodes of “Alf” from 1986 to 1990.
Gregory was 15 when he opted to end his onscreen acting career, but continued to do occasional voiceovers for various animated projects.
He joined the U.S. Navy in 2004, becoming an Aerographer’s Mate, the Navy equivalent of a meteorologist, according to his biography on IMDbPro.
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