Jay North dead: Dennis The Menace star dies as heartbroken pal pays tribute

star Jay North has died his friends have confirmed following a battle with colorectal . The actor, best known for playing the comic strip character, famed for his red and black outfit appeared in the CBS sitcom between 1959 and 1963.

At the height of his fame on the sitcom, he was earning $3,500 per episode – which is the equivalent of $37,000 in 2024. He was 73 when he died at his home in Lake Butler, Florida. In recent years, the actor who last appeared on screen in the 2003 movie, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, had been battling ill health and had started to deteriorate.

Friends say he was surrounded by his wife Cindy Hackman and her daughters from a previous marriage when he died. Friends say that Hackman gave Jay the "family he never had" as he grew up as an only child without a dad.

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In a tear-jerking tribute, his friend, Laurie Jacobson said: "Jeannie Russell just called us with terribly sad, but not unexpected news. 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."

Meanwhile, Laurie's husband, Lassie star, Jon Provost added on social media: "I've known Jay for almost 70 years, now you can rest in peace Jay. It wasn't as easy for you as it was for some of us, not that it was a piece of cake that's for sure, but you did suffer a lot more than most. You were a great guy Jay and I miss you with all my heart, but I know you're at peace now."

Tributes have since started to pour in on X, formerly known as Twitter, with Celebrity star Perez Hilton tweeting: "The original Dennis the Menace actor Jay North has sadly died at just 73 years old after battling cancer! So sad! #RIP." A second user added: "Not Dennis the Menace! We watched his show every week and then everyday in reruns. Rest in peace, Jay North." " RIP Jay North Dennis The Menace, my favourite show growing up. Still watch the re runs," commented a third.

A fourth typed: "Phenomenal child actor... He had fantastic comedic timing and those 60+ year old episodes I grew up watching on Nickelodeon are still funny because of him." "Thanks for the memories Mr. North. RIP," tweeted another.

TMZ reports that hadn't seen his friends recently as he was advised by medical staff to isolate due to his condition. Despite being best known for playing Dennis, Jay's career started in 1957 when he appeared in Cartoon Express with Engineer Bill before appearing on the game show, Queen for a Day the following year.

Having stepped back from acting, he later worked as a correctional officer in Florida, reportedly helping children who had become embroiled in the juvenile system. Aside from this, he also helped counsel fellow child stars through A Minor Consideration in the 1990s.

According to Jacobson, he also worked with death row inmates who'd had troubled childhoods, with their discussions helping him find peace with his own childhood struggles. He claimed that his aunt and physically and verbally abused him when he made mistakes on the set of Dennis or if he hadn't performed to her standards.

It's believed that his parents and those working on the show had no idea about the abuse he endured as he kept it private and struggled to watch re-runs of the sitcom due to his experiences. His co-star, Jeannie Russell previously said: "If Jay says she abused him in private, then I'm inclined to believe it. The sheer demands of being in every scene all by itself had to be extremely stressful. Any extra pressure from [his aunt] would have made it unbearable."

Speaking in an 1993 interview, the late star said wasn't unhappy when the series came to an end. He said: "Between the pressures of the business and Joe's (Joseph Kearns, Dennis The Menace co-creator), dying, I became very serious, very morbid and very withdrawn from the . I was the antithesis of the little kid that I played on the television show."

Speaking to E! in 1999, Jay said: "I am so happy that I was able to have such a positive impact on people's lives. I'm going to write my autobiography and then I'm just going to live a contented, happy life here in Lake Butler with the people I love, and kind of just vanish into the mists of time."

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