Cause of death of child actor “Alf” announced

PEORIA, AZ (AZFamily) – Authorities have announced the cause of death of a former child actor who was found dead in his vehicle in Peoria earlier this year.

According to the Maricopa County Coroner, the cause of death of child actor “Alf” Benji Gregory was a combination of heat exposure and cirrhosis of the liver.

Gregory, who played Brian Tanner on the hit '80s sitcom, was found dead in his car in a Chase Bank parking lot along with his service dog on July 11. Family members believed he had gone to the bank the night before but never got out of the car.

His sister, Rebecca Hertzberg, posted on Facebook that Gregory “fell asleep and died of heat stroke in the car.”

Gregory was eight years old when he rose to fame for his role as Tanner on the NBC show about a family who took in “ALF” – a hairy alien life form – after the creature's spaceship crashed.

He also appeared in commercials and other television shows, including The A-Team and Fantasy Island.

The full coroner's report has not been released.

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