Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Hot! Juan Epstein Of Welcome Back Kotter Dead 60

Robert Hegyes, that Jersey-born professional who seem to played Jewish Puerto Rican wheeler-dealer Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein within the 1970s traditional " Welcome Back Kotter ," passed on through a good visible heart and soul strike right after troubled upper body cramps at his Metuchen home this specific morning. He seemed to be 60.

Hegyes, whom likewise co-starred with "Cagney in addition to Lacey" and also tutored unexpected get better at lessons from his / her alma mater, Rowan University, was best known for his operate on "Kotter," through which your dog executed alongside a young John Travolta as you in the daunting remedial college students regarded for the Sweathogs. Hegyes as well as almost all of the original hired associates reunited not too long ago at

On their webpage , Hegyes wrote that will he or she patterned your swaggering, skirt-chasing Epstein immediately after Chico Marx, whom he or she enjoyed inside a nation's visiting production connected with "A Night With Groucho." He had been a huge admirer of the Marx Brothers: "They have been immigrant Jews, and also I appeared to be an immigrant Italian. Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Gummo, along with Zeppo have been intellectuals . They most of played that cello in addition to went on audio lessons, and they were just about all juvenile delinquents; I could certainly relate."

Hegyes have suffered your heart attack a few issue as well as ended up being definitely not in very good health, his close friend Mark Hegyes with Montana said. Metuchen police reacted to your necessitate health care assistance from Hegyes' home at 9:02 a.m., along with Hegyes, who was encountering chest pains, ended up being ingested to help JFK Medical Center around Edison, police said. By time your dog showed up along at the disaster place at 9:40 a.m., he or she what food was in complete heart public court and died, based on medical spokesman Steven Weiss.

GETTY IMAGESLast year, Hegyes, following from left, and also other hired users involving "Welcome Back, Kotter," (from left, Marcia Strassman, Robert Hegyes, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, John Travolta, Ellen Travolta plus Gabe Kaplan ) accepted the 35th Anniversary Award with the 9th Annual TV Land Awards.

Hegyes, in whose father appeared to be Hungarian-American and whose mummy was Italian-American, was developed in Perth Amboy plus mature up inside Metuchen. He had been considered one of the children just as in your own home for the gridiron along with inside footlights. His nickname: Chico. He authored which his mother, an important Broadway play plus Frank Sinatra fan, stoked his theatrical ambitions, making your pet sing together with Ol' Blue Eyes plus "incessantly" in order to "Maria" from "West Side Story."

He graduated from Rowan University (then Glassboro State College) with a bachelor's degree throughout speech/theater and secondary training Rowan spokesman Joe Cardona called him some sort of "great friend" belonging to the school, noting in which they carried your Rowan shirt whilst co-starring as Det. Esposito about "Cagney as well as Lacey" as well as quickly located perform in New York, co-starring Off-Broadway within "Naomi Court" and also while in the Broadway drama "Don't Call Back." He has been and then forged as Epstein, some sort of function they gamed for "Kotter"'s four-season work about ABC.

Following "Kotter" as well as "Cagney & Lacey," they carried on for you to action upon television, mostly within guest-starring projects including "NewsRadio," "Diagnosis Murder" and also "The Drew Carey Show," and manufactured irregular films, like "Bob Roberts" together with Tim Robbins. He additionally taught at Brooks College of Long Beach, Calif., plus authored screenplays. Peter Loewy, whom operates the Forum Theatre Arts Center with Metuchen, states that he / she organized to promote Hegyes for a one-man display a season ago, nevertheless Hegyes' health conditions your dog needed your hip replacement, among other activities decide to put the item on hold indefinitely. "He ended up being some sort of gentle guy," Loewy remembers. "He had, ironically, a big heart."

Hegyes had been retired but still brought up directing and obtaining more involved in community arts efforts, Mark Hegyes said. "He generally acquired these kind of wonderful schemes," his or her brother said, "but the other day he / she reported I'm not gonna do which anymore."

Hegyes departs at the rear of some siblings, not one but two children, Cassie as well as Mack, along with two step-children, Sophia and also Alex.

Visitation shall be at Flynn & Son Funeral Home at 23 Ford Ave., Fords, about Sunday from only two p.m. to 4 p.m. and also 7 p.m. that will hunting for p.m. The funeral could take place during the event viewing hours.

Star-Ledger staff members writer Tom Haydon contributed to the present report.

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