THE actor Jay North, who rose to fame as TV’s original Dennis the Menace, has died at the age of 73.
North died at his Florida home on Sunday following a battle with cancer, his friends said.
The author, Laurie Jacobson, revealed she received a call from Jeanne Russell, who starred alongside North in Dennis the Menace.
Jacobson told her fans online North died peacefully at home.
“As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after…but he did not let it define his life,” she said.
“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.”
Jacobson described North as a dear friend, before saying: “He is out of pain now.
“His suffering is over. At last he is at peace.”
Jon Provost, who starred as Timmy Martin in Lassie, said he had known North for almost 70 years.
“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,” he posted on Facebook.
“You were a great guy Jay and I miss you with all my heart, but I know you’re at peace now.”
North, born in Los Angeles, was best known for playing Dennis Mitchell in the show which first aired in 1959.
But, he first started acting at the age of five after pleading with his mom to get him on The Engineer Bill Show, later known as Cartoon Express.
His character on Dennis the Menace was known for tormenting George Wilson, a senior citizen, in the show.
North appeared in more than 140 episodes of the show before it stopped airing in 1963.
The series also featured stars like Russell, as well as Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry.
North also starred in series such as Jericho, Maya, and Arabian Nights during the 1960s.
The actor played Terry Bowen in the 1966 movie Maya, and the TV series also bearing the same name between 1967 and 1968.
North also made appearances on shows such as General Hospital, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, and Lassie.
And, he was a voiceover actor, appearing in Fred Flintstone and Friends in 1977, and an episode of The Simpsons in 1999.
North also voiced Bamm-Bamm Rubble in the TV series The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show between 1971 and 1972.
Decades after starring as Dennis, North opened up about the effects of being a child star.
He admitted rising to prominence on Dennis the Menace made it difficult to find work in Hollywood, per The Washington Times.
“I was typecast. I worked for a couple years after “Dennis the Menace,” but into my teen years, early twenties, the industry pretty much shut its doors on me,” he told the outlet.
In 1993, he claimed he had been abused by his aunt and uncle, both of whom were dead when he made the allegations.
He told the Los Angeles Daily News at the time they looked after him because his mom was a full-time worker.
“I’m finally starting a new life and burying Dennis Mitchell,” he said.
North also revealed that he never learned basic mathematics while being a child star.
