'Alice' child star Philip McKeon has died at 55 following a long illness

Philip McKeon, best known as the child who essayed the role of Linda Lavin's son Tommy Hyatt in the 70s and 80s classic Alice, is no more. According to the family spokesperson Jeff Ballard, the actor, 55, died on Tuesday morning in Texas following long time illness. He also stated that the family is beyond heartbroken and devasted after Phil’s death. Phil was kind, loyal and he had a great sense of humour, he will be remembered by everyone who met him, Ballard added.

McKeon played the role of Tommy Hyatt on the hit sitcom Alice which was on the air from 1976 to 1985. After the sitcom, he appeared in several other television shows including the NBC crime drama CHiPs and series Fantasy Island as well as the 1984 show The Love Boat. McKeon has done several films, however, he has mostly acted in horror films. Return to Horror High and Ghoulies 4 are some of his best-known horror movies.

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He was known for co-producing a psychological thriller feature The Jacket, in 2005. The Jacket starred Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley, along with a boasted George Clooney, Peter Guber and Steven Soderbergh among its producers. McKeon starred opposite Charlie Sheen in the No Day at the Beach episode of the 1980s anthology series Amazing Stories. Charlie Sheen was one of the first to share his memories of working with McKeon via social media. He took to his social media and wrote, "Shared some wonderful moments in the 'trenches' with Phil McKeon many moons ago. Over the past few decades, he was always a perfect gentleman and an ebullient spirit. And his goofy af smile was pure gold. r.i.p. young man. Much much too soon, you cut out," Sheen tweeted with a photo of himself and McKeon from the episode.”

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McKeon has hosted a radio show in Wimberly, Texas for a long time. He moved to Texas to be closer to his family. He is survived by his mother, Barbara and his sister, actor Nancy McKeon. His fans from all over the world are heartbroken due to the sad news. While many have written that they will miss him, some even said that their grief is beyond compare.

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