EMBATTLED ACTOR Jeff Conaway, who portrayed Kenickie in the John Travolta-Olivia Newton John classic "Grease," died yesterday. Conaway had been hospitalized since he was discovered unconscious at his Encino, Calif., home on May 11. He was 60.
Born in New York City, Conaway made his Broadway debut at 10 in "All the Way Home." But his big break came with "Grease," first on Broadway (where he played lead Danny Zuko, the part played by Travolta in the film) and then in the film as bad-boy Kenickie.
Conaway's fame continued as the underemployed thespian Bobby Wheeler on "Taxi," but he left the sitcom after the fourth season because of creative differences. "He was a big, loose, flaky guy," James L. Brooks, executive producer of "Taxi," said in an oral history of the series. "I think nobody quite recognized how great he was in ['Taxi'] because he was a flaky guy at times."
Conaway had a long history of substance abuse - alcohol, cocaine and prescription drugs. "He's a gentle soul with a good heart ... but he's never been able to exorcise his demons," his manager, Phil Brock, told the Associated Press. Although he landed parts in "Babylon 5" and "The Bold and the Beautiful" in the '90s, more recently he was better known for his exploits on "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" and "Celebrity Fit Club." He was bounced from the "Fit Club" so he could enter a drug-rehab facility.
0 comments:
Post a Comment