The cause of death for “ALF” actor Benji Gregory has been revealed.
The former child star died of “environmental heat exposure in the setting of hepatic cirrhosis,” according to records from the medical examiner’s office in Maricopa County, Arizona, viewed by The Post.
Gregory’s manner of death was ruled an accident.
The actor died on June 13 at the age of 46. He was found in his car in the parking lot of a Chase Bank in Peoria, Ariz.
Hepatic cirrhosis, also known as cirrhosis of the liver, is permanent scarring that damages your liver and interferes with its functioning, according to The Cleveland Clinic. It can lead to liver failure. Cirrhosis is the result of persistent liver damage over many years.
Gregory’s sister, Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger, confirmed his death in a Facebook post via her brother’s page on July 10.
“It is with a heavy heart my family has suffered a loss way too early,” she wrote.
“Ben was a great Son, Brother and Uncle. He was fun to be around and made us laugh quite often. Still, going through his things, I find myself laughing at little videos or notes of his, in between crying.”
“My brother Ben was found in his car, along with his beloved service dog Hans, deceased on June 13,” she added. “We believe he went there the evening of the 12th to deposit some residuals. (Found in his car) and never got out of the car to do so. He fell asleep and died from vehicular heatstroke.”
Following his shocking death, Rebecca told TMZ that Gregory battled depression, bipolar disorder and a sleep disorder, which frequently kept him awake for days at a time. She added that her brother’s dog also died in the extreme heat.
Temperatures reportedly reached a high of 107 degrees in Peoria, Ariz., on the day Gregory died, according to Accuweather.
Born Benjamin Hertzberg, Gregory played young Brian Tanner on “ALF” for all four season of the NBC hit’s 1986-1990 run. He was just 8 years old when the show premiered.
The series centered on a smart-mouthed creature, ALF (aka Alien Life Form), who crash-landed in a suburban garage and found himself stuck on earth because his spaceship was beyond repair.
In addition to “ALF,” Gregory appeared in several other hit 1980s series such as “The A-Team,” “Fantastic Max,” “Punky Brewster,” “TJ Hooker” and “The Twilight Zone.”
He also acted in movies, most notably the Whoopi Goldberg comedy “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and the Disney TV movie, “Mr. Boogedy.”
His last acting credit was as voicing the character Edgar in the 1993 animated movie “Once Upon a Forest.”
Gregory left acting behind in 2003 when he enlisted in the US Navy, becoming an aerographer’s mate. He was honorably discharged in 2005.
He shared his last social media post on April 10, showing a photo of a sidewalk that he captioned, “Wish my dog, Hans, would grow out of this ‘tagging’ phase already.”
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