Veteran actor Art LaFleur passes away at 78

By ANI

WASHINGTON: Veteran star Art LaFleur, who has played diverse roles in numerous TV shows from ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ to ‘The Mentalist’, passed away at the age of 78.

As per People Magazine, the actor died following a 10-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.

His wife Shelley confirmed the news in a social media tribute on Thursday.

“This guy… After a 10 year battle with A-typical Parkinson’s, Art LaFleur, the love of my life passed away,” she wrote in a Facebook post alongside a photo of the couple.

“He was a generous and selfless man which carried over to his acting but more importantly it was who he was for his family and friends,” she wrote, later adding, “I was so very lucky to have had a 43-year relationship with a man who cherished me and who I adored. Art was larger than life and meant the world to us.”

The actor is well known for playing Babe Ruth in ‘The Sandlot’ and for his role as the Tooth Fairy in ‘The Santa Clause’ 2 and 3.

Additional credits of his include ‘The Rig’, ‘House Hunting’, ‘Death Warrant’, ‘Man of the House’, and ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’.

In addition to his respected film career, he appeared in numerous television shows including — ‘M*A*S*H’, ‘Lou Grant’, ‘Soap’, ‘Webster’, ‘The A-Team’, ‘Hill Street Blues’, ‘Thirtysomething’, ‘Northern Exposure’, ‘Home Improvement’, ‘Doogie Howser’, ‘Coach’, ‘The Incredible Hulk’, ‘Baywatch’, ‘ER’, ‘JAG’, ‘House’.

Later television roles included ‘Cold Case’, ‘The Mentalist’, ‘Malcolm in the Middle’, ‘The Bernie Mac Show’ and ‘Key and Peele’.

Through his roles, Shelley said her husband “brought laughter to so many people.”

“Art was larger than life and meant the world to us,” concluded Shelley.