We’ve lost a Sweathog. Robert Hegyes, who played Epstein on Welcome Back Kotter, died from an apparent heart attack yesterday in New Jersey. He was 60.
The actor’s brother said he’d suffered a heart attack several years ago and was not in good health. Robert’s other acting credits include Cagney and Lacey, NewsRadio, Diagnosis Murder and The Drew Carey Show.
Hegyes along with his Kotter castmates — John Travolta (Vinnie Barbarino), Gabe Kaplan, Laurence Hilton-Jacobs (Freddie “Boom-Boom” Percy Washington) and Ron Palillo (Horshack) — reunited at the TV Land Awards last year to accept the 35th Anniversary Award.