The Tragic Death Of The Sandlot Actor Art LaFleur
Iconic actor Art LaFleur, known for his roles in "The Sandlot" and "Field of Dreams," has died, per People. His wife Shelley confirmed the actor died on November 18 in a Facebook post. Shelly wrote, "After a 10 year battle with A-typical Parkinson's, Art LaFleur, the love of my life passed away [...] He was a generous and selfless man, which carried over to his acting, but more importantly, it was who he was for his family and friends."
The LaFleurs were together for 43 years, and Shelly added that her husband Art was "larger than life and meant the world to us." Finally, she said that Art "brought laughter to so many people" through his acting roles. The actor was beloved for playing Babe Ruth in "The Sandlot," and tributes poured out on social media after TMZ reported Shelly's Facebook confirmation about his death. Many fans were emotional about the tragic death of LaFleur, as the 78-year-old actor touched so many with his work.
Art LaFleur will be remembered for 'The Sandlot' and 'Field of Dreams'
Actor Art LaFleur was beloved for his iconic role as Babe Ruth in "The Sandlot" and for playing the leader of the Chicago "Black Sox" Chick Gandil in Kevin Costner's "Field of Dreams." A LaFelur fan tweeted, "Rest in peace, Art LaFleur. Large character actor who often played big softies, and baseball players." Another fan tweeted, "Aw, man. RIP Art LaFleur. Always put a smile on my face whenever he showed up in a movie."
LaFleur was known for more than his baseball roles, with many other film and television credits to his name. The fans loved LaFleur as the Tooth Fairy in "The Santa Clause" movies, and he had a respected career as a character actor. A fan tweeted, "Art LaFleur was one of those actors where you probably didn't know his name, but you know his face. One of my favorite 'hey it's that guy' character actors since I was a kid. Sad to hear of his passing."
LaFleur's characters in movies were well-known, but he was featured on many popular TV shows, including "M*A*S*H," "The A-Team," "Home Improvement," "Malcolm in the Middle," "Coach," and many more. LaFleur even played football across the pond! One of LaFleur's friends tweeted, "Famed character actor Art LaFleur has passed away at 78...We became friends in 2007 as he played football at UK and was part of The Thin Thirty, and my book about it. A gem of a guy."