52? Damn. Sad news. I feel old, knowing that I used to watch him as a kid, though it's odd to think that he was 34 playing an 18 year old. That show was on in (sorry about this) reruns when I was 10, plus you had "what's happening now" at the same time from 85-86. Side note, do you think he and Elliot Smith are on the same bus to the sweet by and by? There's a head trip for you.
But he looked so happy and vibrant on "Star Dates" (er, so I'm told). You could help but laugh a little at the obituary I read on Salon.com. Of course, it mentioned the classic Rerun episodes where he joined the cult and -- even better -- bootlegged the Dobbie Brothers concert (a 2 part episode!). And you couldn't help but shake your head at the fact that he married two separate women twice and still found time for two other wives. Does that mean he had 4 ex-wives or 6? Nor could you help but wonder at the fact that he was basically bankrupt when What's Happening Now came out, but still left the show in a contract dispute. Rerun, we hardly knew ya!