Ed Gale, the actor best known for portraying Chucky in the horror classic “Child’s Play,” has died.
Gale was 61 when he passed away.
The actor’s niece, Kayse Gale, confirmed the death of her famous uncle in a statement on social media.
In a heartfelt tribute on Facebook, she wrote:
“It is with a heavy heart and a surprisingly light coffin (see what I did there?) that we announce the sudden passing of our uncle, Official: Ed Gale, Actor – retired, Ed Gale has taken his final bow and is now headlining in the afterlife.”
Gale was hospitalized a few days before his death, Cindy Osbrink, his representative, said in a statement.
He was reportedly having difficulty breathing,
The actor was being moved into hospice care when he died Tuesday morning in Los Angeles.
One of Gale’s closest friends traveled from the East Coast to meet with him one more time before his death.
“I think he was waiting for the friend,” Osbrink said.
Born in Plainwell, Michigan, in 1963, Gale went to California when he was 20.
He travelled to the state “with $41 and a dream, and he never looked back,” his niece wrote.
Gale made his acting debut as one of multiple actors to physically play Howard T. Duck in the 1986 sci-fi comedy “Howard the Duck.”
This was followed by another role in sci-fi spoof “Spaceballs” in 1987.
The stunt actor physically played the killer doll Chucky in the first two “Child’s Play” movies and “Bride of Chucky.”
Gale first portrayed Chucky in “Child’s Play” in 1988.
He then took the stunt role again for the 1990 sequel, “Child’s Play 2.”
Gale continued with the franchise in the 1998 film “Bride of Chucky.”
Actor Brad Dourif has voiced the character since its debut.
Gale appeared in more than 130 movies, television shows, and commercials at the time of his death, according to his niece’s post.
He was credited with roles in “Chopper Chicks in Zombietown” (1989), “The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle” (2000), and most recently credited for “Pandemonic” in 2020.
“With this wide-ranging body of work, he leaves behind a legacy full of questionable lighting and amazing one-liners,” Gale’s niece wrote.
