John Travolta has said he will miss
Welcome Back, Kotter co-star Ron Palillo, who died Tuesday at
the age of 63.
“Ron was a wonderful person and
talent,” Travolta said in a statement, “and helped catapult
Welcome Back, Kotter to great success. We will miss him.”
Palillo authored two children's books,
wrote a full length play and appeared in numerous Broadway
productions, however he is best known for playing high school student
Arnold Dingfelder Horshack on the ABC comedy sitcom.
According to TMZ.com, Palillo died of a
sudden heart attack. The openly gay actor was found by his longtime
partner Joseph Gramm.
In 1992, Palillo told PEOPLE
magazine that his work on the stage had helped him overcome a
crippling depression.
He lived in Palm Beach Gardens,
Florida. For about the last three years, Palillo had been teaching
at the G-Star School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, according to
TMZ.com.