The Tragic Death Of Melrose Place Actor Morgan Stevens

Morgan Stevens, the famed television actor, died on Wednesday, January 26. He was 70 years old.

The news comes after neighbors realized Stevens had not been around in a few days. From there, insiders told TMZ, neighbors contacted authorities for a wellness check to be done on Stevens — that's when police confirmed they found the actor dead in his kitchen. Authorities believe he died of natural causes and no foul play is suspected.

Stevens is best known for his work on multiple entertainment projects including "Melrose Place," "Fame," and "A Year in the Life," according to The U.S. Sun. Since his passing, fans of the actor have taken to social media to not only honor Stevens, but to remember his best work. "So sad. My deepest condolences to the family and to all his crew and fans," one fan wrote online. "Awww Mr. Reardon on 'FAME.' I re-watched the whole series twice during early COVID," another wrote. As everyone remembers Stevens, take a look back on how he came to fame. 

Born in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1951, Calvin Morgan Stevens grew up like any normal boy. As a young man he enjoyed playing football and softball, and skiing, according to IMDb. Growing up, acting was not on the list of possibilities for Stevens until he headed to college. During a gap year while in the Coast Guard, Stevens was stationed near New York City and began frequenting Broadway shows — before ultimately getting the acting bug himself. Following his year off, Stevens returned to the University of Tennessee and got his degree in theatre arts.

After finding a love for acting, Stevens hit the ground running, finding his stride appearing on multiple different television series. For one, Stevens was well known for playing Paul Northridge in "The Waltons." In the series, he revived his character of Northridge for three different reunion movies as well as starring in "A Wedding on Walton's Mountain," where his character married Erin Walton, played by Mary Elizabeth McDonough.

Another character Stevens was known for was David Reardon in "Fame." But Stevens' accolades don't end there — he went on to act in "A Year in the Life" and "Melrose Place" before ending his career in 1999 as Principal Max Henson in "Walker, Texas Ranger."