Michael Kearns, pioneering gay ‘Cheers’ and ‘Bevery Hills 90210’ actor, dies at 76

Hollywood has lost a man who refused to hide. Michael Kearns, the actor whose honesty challenged some of the industry’s deepest prejudices, has died at 76, leaving behind a legacy larger than his screen credits. As a longtime friend recalls his difficult final months, the loss brings renewed attention to the extraordinary story of a life defined by cour…

Kearns died on October 5, according to reports, with filmmaker and longtime friend Roland Palencia confirming the news. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Palencia described repeated emergency room visits over three months but did not disclose specific health problems. No cause of death has been announced. Audiences knew Kearns from appearances in Cheers, Beverly Hills, 90210, and Murder, She Wrote, alongside films including Body Double and HBO’s And the Band Played On.

Beyond acting, Kearns confronted prejudice as one of Hollywood’s early openly gay performers. In 1991, he publicly disclosed that he was HIV-positive, challenging the stigma surrounding the virus. He also co-founded Artists Confronting AIDS, using creative work to amplify people’s experiences. After losing his husband, Philip Juwig, in 1992, he adopted his daughter, Katherine, in 1995. His story encompassed grief, fatherhood, and advocacy—a reminder that his most lasting contribution reached far beyond the characters he played.