Stars From Family Ties You Didn't Know Died

This article contains mentions of substance misuse and suicide.

While the format had been around for decades by the time the 1980s rolled around, one could argue it was the decade that sitcoms came into their own as a staple of American television. From "Cheers" to "The Cosby Show," "Full House," "The Golden Girls," and more, there was a show for everyone to enjoy (and on every network, too). NBC's "Family Ties," created by Gary David Goldberg, was one of the best, running for seven seasons from 1982 to 1989 and launching the career of Michael J. Fox — who has undergone an incredible transformation over the years – along the way.

In the show, Fox portrayed Alex P. Keaton — the conservative, Ronald Reagan-loving son of liberal, ex-hippie parents. The dynamic between him and the other children in the Keaton household proved to be a success for the network and became a cultural phenomenon. And, as of this writing, more than three decades after the series finale closed out the '80s, all of its key cast members are alive and well. That said, many memorable guest stars have passed away in the years since it last aired. Here are the stars from "Family Ties" you didn't know died.

Decades have passed since River Phoenix completed work on what would be his final film role — the thriller "Dark Blood" — in 1993 (although the film wasn't released until the 2010s). And it has been even longer since his 1986 breakout in Rob Reiner's coming-of-age classic "Stand By Me." However, his legacy as one of the finest young actors of the '80s and '90s continues to be felt today. Just before he won hearts with the latter performance, though, Phoenix appeared in an episode of "Family Ties."

Phoenix, who was just 15 at the time, played Eugene Forbes in the Season 4 episode "My Tutor" — a 13-year-old tutor charged with helping Michael J. Fox's Alex (who was considerably older) improve his advanced geometry grade. Along the way, Eugene becomes infatuated with Alex's younger sister, Jennifer Keaton (Tina Yothers).

Tragically, on Halloween night in 1993, Phoenix collapsed outside of The Viper Room in West Hollywood and ultimately died at the age of 23. Two weeks later, his death was ruled to be the result of a drug overdose by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office following an autopsy. Years later, in 2022, Fox recalled Phoenix inviting him to his house for barbecue while the former was filming 1991's "Doc Hollywood," an act of kindness he believes stemmed from a pep talk he gave Phoenix on the set of "Family Ties." "He really knew how to be an actor, but he was struggling on this one scene," Fox told People, adding that he encouraged Phoenix to stick with it, despite the general weirdness of show business.

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Veteran film and television actor Philip Baker Hall appeared in the three-part "Heartstrings" episodes of "Family Ties" in 1988 during the series' seventh and final season. The episodes focus on the plight of the Keaton patriarch, Michael Gross' Steven Keaton, after he suffers a heart attack following a jog with Meredith Baxter's Elyse Keaton. Hall played Dr. Harrison in the episodes, the surgeon who operates on Steven following his heart attack.

While the "Heartstrings" saga was a memorable moment in the "Family Ties" lore, and Hall excelled in his role, his appearance on the show is little more than a footnote where his own career is concerned. As tracked by IMDb, Hall piled up 183 credits as a character actor across a half-century in Hollywood from 1970 to 2020. He's perhaps best-known for his performances in Paul Thomas Anderson's 1996 film "Hard Eight" and 1999's "Magnolia." He also famously played the hard-boiled library investigator Lt. Joe Bookman on an episode of "Seinfeld," among other notable projects. Hall died tragically in 2022 at the age of 90.

During "Family Ties'" first season, one of Hollywood's all-time greats played Elyse Keaton's wayward younger brother — and the uncle to Alex, Jennifer, and Justine Bateman's Mallory Keaton — Ned Donnelly. That actor was Tom Hanks, whose claim to fame at that point was the short-lived ABC sitcom "Bosom Buddies." In the memorable two-episode arc, aptly titled "The Fugitive," Alex discovers that Ned is on the run from the law. Another notable actor, Richard Venture, portrayed Bert Carlyle in the episodes, as the FBI agent tasked with bringing Ned in.

Venture logged well over 100 credits to his IMDb page, including a multitude of well-known projects (particularly in guest roles on popular television series). He appeared as Lt. Commander Leo Altobelli in nearly every episode of the short-lived ABC action series "Street Hawk," and also played minor parts in series including CBS' "Knots Landing" (in 1980), "Newhart" (1983-84), NBC's "Sara" (1985), "Seinfeld" (1992), and numerous others. He also starred as Colonel Meyers in the 1986 Clint Eastwood film "Heartbreak Ridge" and played W.R. Slade in the 1992 Al Pacino classic "Scent of a Woman."

The character actor died in 2018 at the age of 94, his daughter told The Hollywood Reporter. "He wasn't a household name," she said, "but his volume of work and his adaptability always stand out."

Frances Bay may be best known for her appearance in the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy "Happy Gilmore," in which she played the titular character's grandmother, who finds herself booted from the family home after it's discovered that she owes $270,000 in back taxes. She also played Aunt Barbara in the 1986 David Lynch thriller "Blue Velvet," and was well-known for playing archetypal "old lady" characters with humor and wit.

Bay guest-starred during Season 3 of "Family Ties" on the episode "Keaton and Son," which sees Alex reluctantly accept a position as a production assistant at the television station where his father works when his other plans fall through. In the end, Alex stays and assists Steven with a documentary production crisis despite having received a late job offer from a bank he had applied to. Bay played Florence Menlo in the episode — an elderly neighborhood woman who's the subject of the doc, which Steven has to rush edit for air the next day.

A Hollywood mainstay from the mid-1970s to the 2010s with nearly 200 credits to her name, Bay died (reportedly of pneumonia) in 2011 at the age of 92. Nine years earlier, her right leg was amputated below the knee after she was struck by a car.

Wyatt Knight, who guest-starred on the Season 3 episode "Don't Know Much About History..." in 1985, was part of a landmark franchise in 1980s comedy, playing Tommy Turner in all three installments of the "Porky's" cinematic series. And like many of the other actors on this list, he also guested on a number of television series throughout the decade, including "T.J. Hooker" (1985) and "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1988). He continued to work as an actor into the 2000s; his last credit came in 2010 via the web comedy series "Crafty."

On his "Family Ties" episode, Knight played William — a student who signs up to be tutored by Alex and his friend and fellow Leland University student James (Jeffrey Joseph). Clearly, William is in need of the help as he forgets to bring his books to the session. Alex and James ultimately find themselves competing for the affections of a female client, only to have her grow weary of the situation.

Knight died in 2011 at the age of 56 of an apparent suicide. His wife later told TheWrap (via Reuters) that the actor had previously experienced a difficult recovery process following a bone marrow transplant for stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, adding, "His family and friends are devastated. He was deeply loved by all who knew him and will be missed every day."

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Doris Belack began acting straight out of high school in the late 1940s; her earliest listed screen credit came in 1947 via NBC's "The Borden Show," but she worked steadily in Hollywood from 1950 until the late 2000s. She played producer Rita Marshall alongside Dustin Hoffman in "Tootsie" (1982) and Mrs. Thompson in the 1987 sci-fi comedy film "*batteries not included," after her decade-long run as Anna Wolek on the ABC soap "One Life to Live" (from 1968 to 1977). Belack was also a prolific voice actress, most notably on the Nickelodeon series "Doug," its movie sequel, and the Disney reboot.

She appeared briefly on "Family Ties" during the third-season episode "Fabric Smarts," in which Mallory is given an ultimatum by Steven and Elyse to improve her grades. They want her to quit her job at a local clothing store. Belack portrayed Mrs. Willis on the show — Mallory's boss at the store, who's impressed with her work as a salesperson.

Belack reportedly died of natural causes in 2011 at the age of 85; two years after she voiced Mrs. McReary in the video game "Grand Theft Auto IV." Her final television appearance came on a 2003 episode of "Sex and the City."

Speaking of "Sex and the City," actor Willie Garson was well-known for playing Stanford Blatch — a gay talent agent and good friend of Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw — in multiple episodes of the HBO series, as well as the films "Sex and the City" (2008), "Sex and the City 2" (2010), and the "Sex and the City" spin-off/revival series "And Just Like That" (2021). Garson said of his experience on the show in 2012 (via Digital Spy): "It was there, I have it, I loved it, I was part of it, and it was great fun every day." However, his body of work extended well beyond that franchise, as his IMDb page lists more than 170 screen credits.

On "Family Ties," Garson guest-starred as Walter on the Season 4 finale, "Paper Chase," in which Mallory's high school graduation is threatened when she finds herself in danger of flunking history. Walter, one of the students in Mallory's class, brags about having read selections from the teacher's reading list.

Garson died suddenly in 2021 following a "short illness," later reported by People to be pancreatic cancer. He was just 57 years old at the time of his death. "I couldn't have had a more brilliant TV partner. I'm devastated and just overwhelmed with sadness," his fictional husband, Mario Cantone, later wrote in an Instagram tribute. Garson's final words on social media were similarly heartbreaking.

Character actor Stephen Lee played Mr. Parker — Jennifer's boss at the fast-food restaurant Chicken Heaven, where she went to work as part of a school project — on the Season 7 episode "Simon Says." In the episode, Parker tells Jennifer that she has what it takes to "rise to the top of the coop" and names her assistant manager. 

Lee is perhaps best remembered for his appearance on a 1997 episode of "Seinfeld," which saw him fill the role of a quirky contractor who's doing work on Jerry's apartment. However, he acted in a veritable bonanza of film and television projects from the early 1980s to 2010. He played a military officer in 1983's "WarGames," and portrayed the Big Bopper in the Lou Diamond Phillips-led biopic "La Bamba" (1987). He also played comedian Tom Arnold in the 1994 TV movie "Roseanne and Tom: Behind the Scenes." He died of a heart attack in his Los Angeles apartment in 2014, his friend, actress Lisa Pescia, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Another well-known face for fans of television and movies during the 1980s and beyond, James Karen's earliest acting credit listed on his IMDb page was in the late 1940s via NBC's "The Philco Television Playhouse." His 215th and final credit came seven decades later via the 2018 horror film "Cynthia." However, Karen will probably be most remembered for his turn as the developer Mr. Teague in the Steven Spielberg-penned classic "Poltergeist" (1982). He also acted on Broadway.

In "Family Ties" — one of the many '80s sitcoms he guest-starred on — Karen played Philip Morgan, the dentist and new boyfriend of Elyse's soon-to-be-divorced mother, who takes her for an all-night date while she's visiting the Keaton family in the Season 2 episode "M Is for the Many Things" (much to Elyse's chagrin). Karen died in 2018 at the age of 94 in his Los Angeles home. Film historian and longtime friend Bruce Goldstein said (via The New York Times) that the cause of death was cardiac arrest caused by respiratory issues.

Philip Sterling appeared in the Cole Porter musical ”Silk Stockings” in 1955, and continued to land starring roles in Broadway productions while working regularly in film and television. He racked up well over 100 screen credits from 1949 to 1998 (the year of his final cinematic role in the Billy Crystal comedy "My Giant"). He also appeared in several episodes of the NBC soap "The Doctors" (1973) and guest-starred in series including ABC's "Hart to Hart" (1980), NBC's "The A-Team" (1983), and CBS' "Magnum, P.I." (1984) amid a fruitful career as a character actor.

On "Family Ties," Sterling played Mr. Winkler — a teacher at Alex's high school and the faculty editor of the school's newspaper, the Harding Hurrah — in two episodes across the series' first two seasons. In the Season 1 episode "Big Brother Is Watching," he fires Alex as student editor after he runs a story about a school-wide cheating scandal (fearing he'll be forced to teach sex education to students with behavioral problems as punishment for the bad publicity).

Sterling later served as the first president of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, according to Variety, which reported his death in 1998 at 76. The outlet cited complications from a bone marrow disease as his cause of death.

Shirley Prestia's "Family Ties" experience was brief in comparison to some of the other guest stars on this list. She played a hospital receptionist in the Season 3 episode "Birth of a Keaton: Part 2" in 1985. However, the episode itself was a benchmark moment in the series lore, as it marked the arrival of the fourth Keaton child, Andy Keaton, who was played in later seasons by child star Brian Bonsall. And she was able to provide the punchline for a joke about Steven arriving with his neighbor and a plumber.

Prestia made a career of such short and sweet performances for three decades, from the mid-1970s to the 2000s. Along the way, she appeared in series including NBC's "St. Elsewhere" (1984), "The Golden Girls" (1986), "Mama's Family" (1988; then in syndication), and Fox's "Married with Children" (1989), among others. Prestia may be best-known for her recurring role as Delores Turner on the latter seasons of "Home Improvement." She was also a member of The Groundlings. Sadly, Prestia died after an eight-year struggle with brain cancer in 2011. She was 64.

Complicated family dynamics were often explored on "Family Ties," including in the two-part episode "Remembrances of Things Past," which served as the third-season finale. In the episode, Steven and his estranged brother, Robert Keaton, are tasked with helping their mother prepare the family house for sale following the death of their father. Actor Michael Alldredge played the Keaton patriarch, Jake, in flashback sequences.

Another maven of the 1970s, '80s, and '90s television scene, Alldredge appeared in series including CBS' "The Jeffersons" and "Kojak" (1977), "The Incredible Hulk" (1979), ABC's "Three's Company" (1982), and the 1983 NBC mini-series "V," among myriad others. The last role listed on his IMDb page was Gunnery Sgt. Krycek on the NBC/CBS legal drama "JAG" in 1997. Alldredge died in 1997 at the age of 56.

"Family Ties" wouldn't have happened or become one of the most beloved sitcoms of the '80s without creator Gary David Goldberg. The show was his first after founding his production company Ubu Productions in 1982; he had previously worked as a writer on CBS' "The Bob Newhart Show," "The Tony Randall Show," "Lou Grant," and other series during the late 1970s. With this first series project of his own, though, he had a very specific vision.

"I was interested in the dynamic of a couple that had been together long term ․․․ a house where there was romance and where the parents' relationship to the kids reflected expanded lanes of communication and represented the way families were changing," Goldberg said (via TV Guide).

After his success on "Family Ties," he went on to create ABC's "Spin City," reuniting with Michael J. Fox in the process. He also wrote, produced, and directed the 1989 dramedy "Dad" and the 2005 John Cusack-Diane Lane rom-com "Must Love Dogs." Over the course of his career, he racked up seven Emmy nominations, winning two trophies for his work on "Lou Grant" and "Family Ties." However, Goldberg died at his California home in 2013 at the age of 68 as a result of brain cancer.