Overview
- Gray’s family spokesperson and publicist announced on Oct. 22 that he died of natural causes on Friday, Oct. 16 in Palm Desert, California.
- He starred as Billy Batson on CBS’s live-action Shazam! from 1974 to 1976, a Saturday-morning series in which the teenage character spoke the magic word “Shazam!” to transform into the superhero Captain Marvel.
- After feeling typecast in the 1970s Gray stepped away from acting and later worked in children’s theater education, men’s fashion and a floral business he ran with his wife.
- A 2012 DVD remaster of Shazam! rekindled public interest and led to convention appearances, voice work on Archer and a brief cameo in the 2023 film Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
- Colleagues and fans have paid tribute to his warmth and impact, and he is survived by his wife, Stacy Benon Gray, his stepchildren Ryan Cooper and Laurel Cooper, and son-in-law Lee Barker.