'Welcome Back Kotter' Star Robert Hegyes Dies

It is with sad news I report the death of my friend Robert Hegyes. Bob who best known as Juan Epstien from the 70s sitcom Welcome Back Kotter and had also been in featured on shows such as Cagney and Lacey and The Drew Carey Show. I found out today Bob died at the age of 60 from an apparent heart attack. From what I had heard he had suffered a previous heart attack before and had also moved back to his hometown of Metuchen, New Jersey. I normally don't reflect on a celebrity death like this in matter of fact the last one I did was for Michael Jackson, but this hits me pretty hard as I considered him a friend and used to correspond with him via e-mail. In matter of fact the last e-mail he sent me was the one below recommending a play to me while I was a theatre student.

Sadly, I never got a chance to check out Moonchildren and that was the last e-mail I got from him. I had wondered how we was doing the past few years. Bob was by far one of the nicest guys I had ever talked to and although I never got the opportunity to meet or interview him, he will be sadly missed. Here is a classic clip from him on Welcome Back Kotter.