Ron Palillo, aka Arnold Horshack from the classic 70s sitcom that launched John Travolta’s closet career, Welcome Back, Kotter, has died at age 63. He is survived by his partner of 41 years, retired actor Joseph Gramm.
According to TMZ, Palillo was found by Gramm at around 4 am at their home near Palm Springs, FL. Gramm called for an ambulance and Pallilo was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack.
In addition to Kotter, Palillo was a guest star on Ellen Degeneres‘ groudbreaking 90s sitcom, where he also served as script supervisor. Palillo is the second Sweathog to die this year, as Robert “Epstein” Hegyes passed away in January, also from a heart attack.
Michael Preston
OOOOO…OOOOO..O0000… and that famous laugh are the two things that will always ring true for Ron Pallilo or Arnold Horschak!!! OMG… Welcome Back Kotter was one of the sitcoms I used to watch with my family… You will be missed Arnold!! RIP
dave
Interesting. How many of the actors on that show were gay? Travolta, Palillo, ….?
tookietookie
Travolta is taking them out one by one so they won’t talk.
Ogre Magi
Seems like a lot of gay celebs are dieing lately
boring
I never knew the dude was gay, but I did know he was fuckin’ awesome.
Cyndi Brady
Back in the day when “Welcome Back, Kotter” was on, we QUILTBAG people caught the “in jokes” and the humor.
Travolta may run and hide, but “we” knew our “family” when we saw them, and we laughed, because we just knew that we were not alone.
RIP Mr. Pallilo, and fare you well all friends, family and fans. History cannot erase your kin, try as they might. We shall live and we will die, but we will not go uncounted, forgotten, or unremembered.
puck247
I’m gonna watch “Friday the 13th Part 6” out of respect
Homer Sexual
@puck247: Bravo for the Friday the 13th reference.
Dinodogstar
piss*s me off, when the supposedly “liberal’ and ‘gay-friendly’ hollywood media fails to mention that a celeb was pretty-openly gay and in a same-gender relationship for 41 years( and he was in his mid 60’s hello!!)… and with the recent news of the shooting today at the Family Reseach Council Org( or what ever it’s called), and the speculation, stated or implied, of the left-leaning/possibly gay-supportive or actually-gay/bi/trans nature of the guy….{really, the shooter was “carrying a Chic-fil-a takeout bag”?!?!?, can they already assign the motives to a crazy person as being equated with pro-gay equality issues!?!?!}It’s parity in reporting about us, the good and bad, is what we ask for.