LOS ANGELES — Jeff Conaway, who played T-Bird Kenickie in the iconic musical “Grease,” died Friday morning at age 60, a little more than two weeks after he fell into a coma from an apparent drug overdose, FOX NEWS confirmed.
“The family is extremely saddened right now,” his rep Phil Brock said. “His family, sisters, nieces, and nephews were at his side when he passed away.”
Conaway was rushed to the hospital May 11 after he was found unconscious at his home in Los Angeles.
He never regained consciousness and his family decided Thursday to take him off life support — though the decision had to be briefly delayed when his ex-girlfriend, Vikki Lizzi, took the family to court over the decision, according to E! Online.
The actor had a restraining order against Lizzi so she was not permitted to be at the hospital.
Conaway launched his acting career in the 1970s with minor TV appearances on “Happy Days” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” but he got his big break starring alongside John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the 1978 movie musical “Grease.”.
“Jeff Conaway was a wonderful and decent man and we will miss him. My heartfelt thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this very difficult time,” Travolta said about his former costar.
After his success in “Grease,” Conaway went on to play struggling actor-turned-taxi driver Bobby Wheeler in the sitcom “Taxi” from 1978 to 1981. Conaway’s battle with substance abuse was blamed for his departure from the series after only three seasons.
Conaway went to rehab in the late 1980s and even spoke openly about his addictions but relapsed later in his life.
In 2008, he appeared on the first season of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew,” seeking treatment for addiction to cocaine, painkillers and alcohol.
He was able to get off cocaine and alcohol but returned to the show for its second season to deal with his addiction to painkillers. As soon as the second season finished and Conaway returned home, he began abusing his pain medication again.
Conaway was hospitalized in 2010 after suffering a brain hemorrhage and broken bones from a serious fall down the stairs in his Los Angeles home.
The actor was married twice. He married Olivia Newton-John’s older sister Rona in 1980 but they divorced five years later.
In 1990, he married his second wife Kerri. The two had separated but it is unknown if they ever formally divorced.