Former youngster star Jay North, who was finest identified for his position because the titular character in Dennis the Menace, has died on the age of 73 after battling colorectal most cancers. Laurie Jacobson, whose husband is Jon Provost, confirmed the information through Fb after studying of North’s passing from his Dennis the Menace costar Jeanne Russell.
“Jeanne Russell simply referred to as us with terribly unhappy, however not sudden information,” Jacobson shared on Sunday, April 6. “Our expensive good friend JAY NORTH has been preventing most cancers for a lot of years and this morning at midday EST, Jay handed peacefully at residence. As a lot of his followers know, he had a tough journey in Hollywood and after…however he didn’t let it outline his life. He had a coronary heart as large as a mountain, liked his associates deeply. He referred to as us steadily and ended each dialog with ‘I really like you with all my coronary heart.’ And we liked him with all of ours.”
She concluded the message by including, “A life-long good friend of Jon’s, a brother to Jeanne and a pricey good friend to me, we’ll miss him terribly. He’s out of ache now. His struggling is over. Ultimately he’s at peace.”
North performed Dennis Mitchell on all 4 seasons of Dennis the Menace from 1959 to 1963. After the present ended, North struggled to seek out regular work as an actor, though he continued to make visitor appearances on tv exhibits within the Nineteen Sixties. He landed a job within the 1966 movie Maya and the reprised it within the subsequent tv collection of the identical title, however the present solely lasted for one season within the late 60s.
The previous star then transitioned extra into voice performing for varied animated collection. He additionally had a short theater profession and made his final starring position within the 1974 movie The Trainer. Over the subsequent few years, North tried to revive his performing profession, however ended up enlisting for the Navy when he was unsuccessful. He left on honorable discharge in 1979. Following just a few small roles within the early Eighties, together with a week-long stint on Basic Hospital, North largely retreated from the highlight. He ended up working as a correctional officer in Florida after ending his performing profession.
North was married thrice. His first spouse was Kathleen Brucher, whom he met in 1972 whereas showing in Butterflies Are Free. They married the next yr, however divorced in October 1974. He then wed Rositia in 1991, however they separated simply three months later.
On the time of his dying, North was married to Cindy Hackney, whom he married in 1993. He grew to become a stepfather to her three daughters from a earlier relationship they usually by no means had any youngsters of their very own.