musicNEWS:
Fred 'Rerun' Berry Dead at 52
10-23-03
Keavin
.
Fred Berry, best known for his role as “Rerun”
in the 70’s sitcom “What’s Happening!” passed away at the age of 52 on
Tuesday.
Berry died in his Los Angeles home of what
appears to be natural causes, according to police. The exact cause of death
will not be known until the coroner completes an investigation. However,
Berry was said to be in poor health following a recent stroke.
Berry’s rise to fame came in 1976 when
he was cast as the goofball and dimwitted “Rerun” in the hit sitcom “What’s
Happening!”, which centered on three young black teens in Los Angeles.
Legend has it that the name “Rerun” was
based on the character having to “rerun” his classes in the summer since
he failed them during the school year.
The show ran for 3 years but Berry reportedly
took to a life of stardom and excess while the show was in full swing,
often abusing cocaine and marijuana. Berry claimed to have run through
over a million dollars on cars, drugs, homes and not to mention several
failed marriages.
He had a hard time finding work after the
show was cancelled and took to appearing in shopping malls. He did get
a second chance when the show was reprised in 1985 with “What’s Happening
Now!” but he became embroiled in a contract dispute and quit the show after
one season.
Berry managed to pull his life back together
in 1986 when he found religion. He ultimately gave up his drug lifestyle
and began working as a minister in Alabama for a short time.
He has made sporadic tv appearances over
the years, the most recent were on MTV’s "Doggy Fizzle Televizzle" with
Snoop Dogg, E!’s “Star Dates”, VH1’s retrospect on the 70’s and also a
cameo in Dave Spade’s "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star."
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