Ron Palillo—famed for his role as Arnold Horshack on the ’70s TV show Welcome Back, Kotter—died of an apparent heart attack Aug. 14 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., at age 63, Examiner.com reported.
Co-star Robert Hegyes, who played Juan Epstein, died at age 60 of a heart attack earlier this year. (The show also starred Gabe Kaplan, John Travolta and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs.)
Palillo made his peace with Horshack in recent years after resenting the character, saying that the role cost him parts in other productions, according to the New York Times. The character was based largely on the person he was in high school, he told The Miami Herald in 2009. “He was the smartest kid in school,” he said.
Palillo is survived by Joseph Gramm, his partner of 41 years.