Found dead in car

What killed “Alf” star Benji Gregory and his dog?

(Bild: www.instagram.com/benji_gregory)

US actor Benji Gregory, who became a child star as Brian Tanner in the 1980s TV series "Alf", has been found dead in his car next to his dog "Hans" at the age of 46.

He was found dead in his car in the parking lot of a bank in Peoria, Arizona, on June 13, his sister told the portal "TMZ". 

Suspected cause of death
The family suspects that he fell asleep in the car and died of heatstroke due to the high temperatures, she also wrote on Facebook.

His assistance dog "Hans" was also discovered lifeless in the vehicle. According to his sister, Gregory struggled with bipolar disorder and depression and suffered from a sleep disorder.

Never got out of the car
"We believe he drove there on the evening of the 12th to deposit some remaining funds (found in his car). But he never got out of the car. He fell asleep and died of heatstroke in the car."

Cause of death still unclear
Station KABC and the newspaper "USA Today" reported, citing the Maricopa County Coroner's Office, that the cause of death had not yet been determined.

Gregory played Brian, the son of the Tanner family, in the sitcom. The family takes in the alien Alf after he accidentally crashes his spaceship into their garage.

The series ran on NBC from 1986 to 1990 and was also very popular in Austria.(Bild: KPA )

The most popular shaggy monster in TV history
The shaggy monster from the planet Melmac causes a lot of disruption in the Tanners' lives, and Alf (alien life form) is also after their cat "Lucky", because cats are his favorite food. His trademark also included lots of cheeky remarks. In German, the phrase "Null Problemo!" became legendary.

The series ran for 102 episodes on NBC from 1986 to 1990 and also became a TV hit in German-speaking countries. Gregory was eight years old when he slipped into the role of Brian. Although he later appeared in other series such as "The A-Team", "Punky Brewster" and "Amazing Stories", he did not achieve great success. According to the industry portal imdb.com, he was also temporarily employed by the US Navy's weather service.

Voice actor mourns
Gregory's unexpected death has also hit his German voice actor hard. "My former role as 'Brian Tanner' in the hit series 'Alf' was 37 years ago," Dirk Meyer told the German Press Agency in Munich.

The role in the series "was my start as a voice actor, which I still do today. I was just eleven years old at the time and still at school. It was an exciting experience for me as a child. The early death of US actor Benji Gregory is regrettable and also touches me," said Meyer.