1 of 2 | Jeff Conaway, who died in Los Angeles Friday at age 60, is shown on the red carpet at the 18th annual Night of 100 Stars Oscar viewing party at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., Feb. 24, 2008. (UPI Photo/David Silpa) |
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LOS ANGELES, May 27 (UPI) -- Actor Jeff Conaway, best known for his roles in the TV comedy "Taxi" and the movie musical "Grease," died Friday in Los Angeles, his family said. He was 60.
Conaway, who played aspiring actor Bobby Wheeler on "Taxi" and high school student Kenickie in "Grease," was removed from life support Friday at Encino Hospital Medical Center, his sister Carla Shreve told the Los Angeles Times. He had been placed in a medically induced coma after being admitted to the hospital May 10 unconscious and suffering from pneumonia.
Shreve told the newspaper Conaway's illness resulted from "just to many prescribed drugs."
Born Oct. 5, 1950, in New York, Conaway gained fame starring with John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John and Stockard Channing in "Grease," a musical about teenage romance and fast cars. He left "Taxi" after three seasons, telling the Toronto Star in a 1989 interview he had done "the same scene for three years," playing a struggling actor alongside series stars Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, Danny De Vito and Tony Danza.
"I was underused," he said. "It's natural when there are seven people involved in a half-hour show."
In 1984, Conaway starred as Prince Erik Greystone in the fantasy-adventure TV series "Wizards and Warriors," which ran just eight episodes. He also appeared briefly in the 1985 prime time drama "Berrenger's" and starred on Broadway in "The News," a musical that ran two nights before closing.
His TV credits included "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "Babylon 5" – as well as his appearances on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club" in 2006 and "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew" in 2008.
He is survived by his sister Carla; his wife, Kerri Young Conaway; a sister, Michele Goffin; and a stepson, Emerson Hall.
