Michu Meszaros, who starred as the furry alien "Alf" in the 1980s NBC sitcom, died Sunday at age 76.
The 33-inch-tall actor and former circus performer died at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, California, a few days after being found unresponsive in his home,
according to The Hollywood Reporter.
For most of the 102 episodes of "Alf," the title character was a puppet, voiced by creator Paul Fusco. But Meszaros wore a costume to carry out the role on a few occasions.
Meszaros was also a close friend of Michael Jackson and appeared in a Pepsi commercial with the pop star.
The actor was born in Hungary and became a U.S. citizen in 1990. He lived in Hawthorne, California, where a "very short street" was named after him, The Hollywood Reporter said.
Unofficially known as the smallest man on Earth, Meszaros began performing with the circus at age 14 and toured with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus during the 1970s,
Entertainment Weekly reported.
On Sunday,
TMZ reported that Meszaros had been in a coma after being found unresponsive in the home he shared with manager Dennis Varga. The actor had health issues after suffering a stroke.
Meszaros appeared in films including "Waxwork," "Big Top Pee-Wee," "Warlock: The Armageddon" and "Freaked."
Twitter users were saddened by the actor's death.
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