RIP: Ron Palillo, of ‘Welcome Back, Kotter’ dies at 63

Ron Palillo, who played Arnold Horshack on the 1970s television series Welcome Back, Kotter, died today. The actor had a heart attack while sleeping at his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Ron Palillo, who played Arnold Horshack on the 1970s television series Welcome Back, Kotter, died today. The actor had a heart attack while sleeping at his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

He was 63.

As a kid growing up, I watched Welcome Back, Kotter religiously every day after school. Palillo, as Horshack was the runt of the Sweathogs (John Travolta, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and the late Robert Heyges) and easily one of the funniest. Go back and check out some episodes if you can.

After Kotter, Palillo went on to a successful voice-over career and guest starring on such shows as The Love Boat, The A-Team and Murder, She Wrote.

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