Post by ~One Of Three~ on Nov 21, 2003 21:40:03 GMT -5
NEW YORK -- Gene Anthony Ray, an actor and dancer best known for his roles in the 1980 movie "Fame" and its spin-off television series, died Friday in Manhattan. He was 41.
Ray died of complications from a stroke he had in June and was also HIV positive, said his mother, Jean Ray.
Like Leroy, the rebellious character he played in "Fame," Ray attended New York's High School of the Performing Arts, but the school was "too disciplined for this wild child of mine," his mother said. Ray dropped out after a year.
Ray returned to the role of Leroy for the "Fame" television series, which ran from 1982 to 1987. He went on to appear in the films "Out of Sync" (1995) and "Eddie" (1996), starring Whoopi Goldberg.
Ray appears in a "Fame" reunion documentary, "Fame Remember My Name," which was taped in April 2003 for the BBC but has not yet aired.
I had to call my momma and sista on that one when I read about it. 
And I also made sure that I caught him on the tv show as well every Thursday night when I was growin' up. 