Actor Jerry Doyle, best known for his role in the sci-fi series Babylon 5, has died at the age of 60.
Doyle appeared in all five series of the 1990s show as Chief Warrant Officer Michael Garibaldi.
He also made guest appearances on other popular shows, such as Beverly Hills 90210, NYPD Blue and Martial Law, and was the host of a nationally-syndicated daily radio show in the US.
A spokesman for Doyle's family said the cause of his death was not yet known.
Fellow Babylon 5 actor Bruce Boxleitner tweeted that he was "so devastated at the news of the untimely death of my good friend", while astronaut Scott Kelly said the news was "very sad to hear".
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Doyle worked as a pilot and on Wall Street as a stockbroker before moving to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting.
He secured his role in the Emmy Award-winning Babylon 5 within a year of arriving and went on to play Garibaldi for several years.
Set in the 23rd Century, the show told the story of a space station where humans and aliens tried to live in harmony and work to avoid interplanetary war.
After the success of the show, Doyle took a hiatus from acting and ran for office in the US House of Representatives as a Republican candidate but failed in his campaign.
According to his biography on KDWN, one of the radio stations that hosted his show, he also received "numerous awards and accolades including Honorary F-16 Test Pilot, Honorary Naval Aviator and Distinguished Supporter of the Nation's Space Program".
Fuck. I liked him, even though I disagreed with his political views.
B5 Creator J. Michael Straczynski's Statement On the Death of Jerry Doyle
Jul 28, 2016
When it came to politics, Jerry Doyle and I disagreed on, well, pretty much everything. Politically, Jerry was just to the right of Attila the Hun. There is a line in Babylon 5 where his character, Michael Garibaldi, suggests that the way to deal with crime is to go from electric chairs to electric bleachers. That line is quintessential Jerry Doyle. I say this with confidence because I overheard him saying it at lunch then stole it for the show.
Despite our differences, when Jerry ran for congress as a Republican not long after Babylon 5 ended, I donated to his campaign. Not because I agreed with him, but because I respected him; because there was one area in which we agreed: the vital intersection between the arts of acting and storytelling. In that respect, Jerry was a consummate professional. Regardless of whatever was going on in his life, whether it was marital issues, a broken arm, forced couch-surfing with Bruce and Andreas or other problems, he never once pulled a prima donna on us; he showed up every day on time, knew his lines, and insisted that the guest cast live up to the standards of the main cast, to the point of roughing up one guest star who showed up not knowing his lines. Trust me when I say that after Jerry got done with him, every day he showed up, he knew his lines. And then some.
He was funny, and dangerous, and loyal, and a prankster, and a pain in the ass; he was gentle and cynical and hardened and insightful and sometimes as dense as a picket fence...and his passing is a profound loss to everyone who knew him, especially those of us who fought beside him in the trenches of Babylon 5. It is another loss in a string of losses that I cannot understand. Of the main cast, we have lost Richard Biggs, Michael O'Hare, Andreas Katsulas, Jeff Conaway, and now Jerry Doyle, and I'm goddamned tired of it.
So dear sweet universe, if you are paying attention in the vastness of interstellar space, take a moment from plotting the trajectory of comets and designing new DNA in farflung cosmos, and spare a thought for those who you have plucked so untimely from our ranks...and knock it off for a while.
Because this isn't fair.
And Jerry Doyle would be the first person to tell you that. Right before he put a fist in your face. Which is what I imagine he's doing right now, on the other side of the veil.
J. Michael Straczynski
Executive Producer
Babylon 5
Kojiro wrote:We should all remember that even dead Mr Garibaldi is a dangerous foe.
True that. Even hundreds-year-old virtual Garibaldi will ruin your weekend.
Kojiro wrote:I don't know or care what his politics were, I enjoyed the hell out of his performances and this saddens me.
Peter Jurasik said at least once that, in order to get into character, all he had to do was say, "Mister Garibaldi," in his Centauri accent.
R.I.P.
"Do I really look like a guy with a plan? Y'know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it! Y'know, I just do things..." --The Joker
My big brother used to help out with security at Marcon, in Columbus OH. Doyle was a Guest of Honor a couple times.
The first time, the con had his panel set up in the biggest room they had. 200 people were in there, but it was still rather empty. So, Doyle got up and said "Hey, follow me, we're going somewhere else to talk". My brother and the rest of Security then had to clear the way for him and this gaggle of 200 folks as Doyle lead them all the way across the conference center and into the hotel where the ConSuite was set up. Doyle then got a scotch, lit up his cigar, asked to make sure all 200 were good, and then proceeded to tell the stories, answer questions, and refill his glass.
The panel went 'overtime' but Doyle didn't care, he was having a good time.
Nitram, slightly high on cough syrup: Do you know you're beautiful?
Me: Nope, that's why I have you around to tell me.
Nitram: You -are- beautiful. Anyone tries to tell you otherwise kill them.
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" -- Leonard Nimoy, last Tweet
Damn. I wasn't expecting this. That's the best I can say.
"Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone amongst God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him, drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of Death.."
—29th Scroll, 6th Verse of Ape Law
"Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter. The uproarious laughter between the two, and their having fun at my expense.”
"Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone amongst God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him, drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of Death.."
—29th Scroll, 6th Verse of Ape Law
"Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter. The uproarious laughter between the two, and their having fun at my expense.”
Before that, it was a burger commercial [can't remember which one} playing a cab-driving father taking his son out. {mid 1980s}
R.I.P., same age as I am, but I survived my four hour long heart attack [didn't even know it was,as it was not typical]followed by quintuple bypass,
cardiologist said actual damage to the heart muscle was "extremely minor" it was mostly the plumbing that was screwed up.
That was also Eric Pierpoint, Sam Fransisco from the TV version of "Alien Nation", with him.
Old Fart, used to be Space Cowboy [see Battle Beyond the Stars,1980 for reference]
Now transplanted from Usenet re: alt.startrek.vs.starwars . & Übernerd
