2 days Ago By Tatiana Krisztina, Daniel Bird
Jay North, the actor who played Dennis the Menace in the CBS sitcom from 1959 to 1963, has passed away after battling colorectal cancer . At the height of his fame, he earned $3,500 per episode, equivalent to $37,000 in 2024. The 73-year-old actor died at his home in Lake Butler, Florida , surrounded by his wife, Cindy Hackman, and her daughters from a previous marriage.
According to friends, Hackman provided North with the "family he never had" as he grew up as an only child without a father. In a heartfelt tribute, friend Laurie Jacobson said, "Jeannie Russell just called us with terribly sad, but not unexpected news. As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after.
.. But he did not let it define his life.
He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with 'I love you with all my heart.'" "And we loved him with all of ours," she continued.
"A life-long friend of Jon's, a brother to Jeanne and a dear friend to me, we will miss him terribly. He is out of pain now. His suffering is over.
At last he is at peace." Laurie's husband, Jon Provost, a star of Lassie, took to social media to pay tribute to his long-time friend, Jay North. He wrote: "I've known Jay for almost 70 years, now you can rest in peace Jay.
It wasn't as easy for you as it was for some of us, not that it was a piece of cake that's for sure, but you did suffer a lot more than most. You were a great guy Jay and I miss you with all my heart, but I know you're at peace now." Since the news broke, tributes have been flooding in on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Celebrity Big Brother star Perez Hilton tweeted, "The original Dennis the Menace actor Jay North has sadly died at just 73 years old after battling cancer! So sad! #RIP," reports the Mirror . Another user lamented, "Not Dennis the Menace! We watched his show every week and then everyday in reruns. Rest in peace, Jay North.
" A third fan reminisced, "RIP Jay North Dennis The Menace, my favorite show growing up. Still watch the re runs." Another admirer praised North's acting skills, "Phenomenal child actor.
.. He had fantastic comedic timing and those 60+ year old episodes I grew up watching on Nickelodeon are still funny because of him.
" According to TMZ, Jay hadn't been able to see his friends recently due to medical advice to isolate because of his condition. Despite being best known for playing Dennis, Jay's career began in 1957 when he appeared in Cartoon Express with Engineer Bill, followed by an appearance on the game show Queen for a Day the following year. After stepping away from the limelight, he found a new calling as a correctional officer in Florida, where he reportedly worked with children entangled in the juvenile system.
In addition to this, he offered guidance to fellow child stars through A Minor Consideration during the 1990s. Jacobson revealed that he also engaged with death row inmates who had difficult childhoods. These conversations helped him reconcile with his own troubled past.
He alleged that his aunt physically and verbally abused him for any mistakes he made on the set of Dennis or if his performance didn't meet her expectations. It's thought that his parents and the show's crew were oblivious to the abuse he suffered as he kept it to himself and found it hard to watch reruns of the sitcom due to his traumatic experiences. His co-star, Jeannie Russell, once stated, "If Jay says she abused him in private, then I'm inclined to believe it.
The sheer demands of being in every scene all by itself had to be extremely stressful. Any extra pressure from [his aunt] would have made it unbearable." In a 1993 interview, the late star admitted he wasn't unhappy when the series ended.
He confessed, "Between the pressures of the business and Joe's (Joseph Kearns, Dennis The Menace co-creator), dying, I became very serious, very morbid and very withdrawn from the world. I was the antithesis of the little kid that I played on the television show." In a heartwarming revelation to E! back in 1999, Jay expressed his joy over his influence on others, "I am so happy that I was able to have such a positive impact on people's lives.
I'm going to write my autobiography and then I'm just going to live a contented, happy life here in Lake Butler with the people I love, and kind of just vanish into the mists of time." Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sport and entertainment stories. DAILY NEWSLETTER: Sign up here to get the latest news and updates from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter.
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