Jay North, Star of Original 'Dennis the Menace' TV Show, Dies at 73

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: Variety

Jay North, who played Dennis Mitchell in the original 1959 “Dennis the Menace” TV series, died Sunday after a battle with cancer, his long-time friend Laurie Jacobson confirmed in a social media post. He was 73.

“Our dear friend JAY NORTH has been fighting cancer for a number of years and this morning at noon EST, Jay passed peacefully at home,” Jacobson wrote. “As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after…but he did not let it define his life. He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with ‘I love you with all my heart.’ And we loved him with all of ours. A life-long friend of Jon’s, a brother to Jeanne and a dear friend to me, we will miss him terribly. He is out of pain now. His suffering is over. At last he is at peace.”

“Dennis the Menace,” based on Hank Ketcham’s comic strip of the same name, ran for 146 episodes across four seasons. The show followed North’s Dennis “the menace” Mitchell, a young troublemaker who terrorizes his aging neighbor Mr. Geroge Wilson (Joseph Kearns) through a never-ending series of mischievous deeds. Other cast members include Herbert Anderson, Gloria Henry, Billy Booth, Sylvia Field and Gale Gordon.

After the series ended in 1963, North went on to appear in several one-off roles on TV shows like “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” “The Lucy Show,” “My Three Sons” and “Jericho.” He also did voice work for series like “Arabian Knights,” “Here Comes the Grumps,” “The Banana Splits Adventure Hour” and “The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show.” His last starring role was in the 1974 erotic thriller “The Teacher.”

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jay-north-star-original-dennis-210052318.html

[sinkingfeeling]

1. R.I.P.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Oh wow...

I know he was still "active" out in the entertainment media thanks to his dedicated fandom. He really "defined" that character as a "live action" version of the comic. Another icon lost this year.

R.I.P.

[FakeNoose]

3. Wow, there's a name I haven't heard for many years!

Rest in Peace Jay North, AKA "Dennis the Menace."

[YoshidaYui]

4. Dennis The Menace - S01E01 - Dennis Goes To The Movies

[50 Shades Of Blue]

5. Oh, how sad! I remember watching DtM on Sunday evenings with my family...

When I was in high school, he had a short lived TV series I used to watch called Maya.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

7. About some elephant in India

I remember that.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

13. Yep! Costarring another cutie named Sajid Khan.

[elocs]

15. Yep, a young Indian actor who was on the cover of all the teen mags at the time. n/t

[50 Shades Of Blue]

23. I remember them well, LOL!

[elocs]

14. "Maya" was one of my favorite shows when it was on. I still remember the theme music.

I remember DTM as a kid though. "HELLO Mr. Wilson!".

[Raine]

6. Sad news 😔 ... R-I-P Jay 🙏

[elocs]

16. I'm 72 & I'm beginning to feel that those who die now after a long life may be better off

than the rest of us. Just think of the very young people today who will never have a chance to experience what America, even with it warts, once was because it will never be the same again.

[wolfie001]

8. "Hello Mr. Wilson!"

I grew up watching reruns in the '60s.

[hamsterjill]

9. Sad news.

He made me laugh many times when I was a child myself. May he be at peace, and may his family and friends find comfort.

[elocs]

17. It may be sad news to his childhood fans who didn't know he was in pain & suffering from cancer.

I'm just a year younger than North, enjoyed Dennis the Menace as well as Maya. He was much beloved by his friends and those who knew him and I am not at all sad that his suffering is over. To love and be loved as much as he was, well that's a good life and what more can we hope for him or ourselves.

[hamsterjill]

21. I said "may he be at peace".

Not sure about your post but it sure sounded strange to me.

I’m sad when the world loses anyone. Of course I take no joy in someone suffering. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be sad when we lose someone.

The two sentiments are not mutually exclusive.

[area51]

10. RIP.

[LNM]

11. I recently introduced my grandsons to the show on Youtube

They loved it as much as I did although they were stymied by the show being in black and white.
RIP Jay and thanks for the laughs.

[Fla Dem]

12. Not liking this, all my favorite childhood actors are passing on.

RIP, Jay North and thank you for the laughs.

[elocs]

19. This is what happens when you get old. It really hits home when you go to the funerals

of childhood friends, people you knew as kids. Or of a nation you knew all your life and thought it would always be there all your life.

[kskiska]

18. I miss Eddie Haskell.

[LudwigPastorius]

20. RIP Jay

At least Jerry Mathers is still with us. Although, he's beginning to look a bit like William F. Buckley these days. (Sorry, Beav.)

[The Grand Illuminist]

22. Jay North parodying himself....

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