‘ALF’ Child Star Benji Gregory’s Cause of Death Revealed

ALF star Benji Gregory’s cause of death has been confirmed.

The death of the child actor, who was found deceased on June 13 in his car in Peoria, Arizona at the age of 46, has been ruled an accident by the Maricopa Medical Examiner, according to records. The report indicates that Gregory suffered “environmental heat exposure in the setting of hepatic cirrhosis,” leading to his passing.

(left to right) Max Wright, Benji Gregory, Andrea Elson and Anne Shedeen.

Gregory’s sister, Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger, first announced his death in a Facebook post on July 10. She revealed the family believed it was from heat stroke, as it was 109 degrees in Peoria on June 12.

“It is with a heavy heart my family has suffered a loss way too early,” she wrote of Gregory. “Ben was a great Son, Brother and Uncle. He 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.”

“My brother Ben was found in his car, along with his beloved service dog Hans, deceased on June 13,” she continued. “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. He fell asleep and died from vehicular heatstroke.”

Hertzberg-Pfaffinger also told TMZ that Gregory had been struggling with depression, bipolar disorder and a sleep disorder that kept him awake for days at the time of his death.

Benji Gregory.

ALIEN PRODUCTIONS INC. / Album

Gregory was best known for playing Brian Tanner in over 100 episodes of ALF from 1986 to 1990. The series, which was created by puppeteer Paul Fusco and Tom Patchett, followed the show’s namesake, “Alien Life Form,” named Gordon Shumway, after he crashed into the Tanner family’s garage in the suburbs.

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ALF is available to stream on Peacock and Amazon Prime.