‘Chucky’ Actor Ed Gale Dead at 61

Ed Gale, known for his roles as Howard the Duck and Chucky in Child’s Play, has died. He was 61.

The passing of the three-foot-four-inch-tall actor was announced by his niece, Kayse Gale, on Facebook yesterday. His cause of death was not specified.

“It is with a heavy heart and a surprisingly light coffin (see what I did there?) that we announce the sudden passing of our uncle, Ed Gale. Ed Gale has taken his final bow and is now headlining in the afterlife. Ed hitched a ride to California when he was twenty years old, with $41 and a dream, and he never looked back,” she wrote in the post.

“Over the course of his career he appeared in over 130 movies, TV shows, and commercials,” she continued. “With this wide ranging body of work, he leaves behind legacy full of questionable lighting and amazing one-liners.”

While he’s best known for playing the serial killer doll Chucky and Marvel comic book character Howard the Duck, he appeared in plenty of other well-known films, like Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, and the Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou?. He also played the dinosaur, Tasha, in the television series Land of the Lost.

“Ed’s favorite role was that of the “fun uncle.” His love language was sharing his love of the entertainment industry and the magic of Hollywood with his nieces,” Kayse Gale wrote. “He delighted in the slow build up of telling a good story, and cheating at cribbage. He had one hell of a laugh, and he will be missed. Rest in love you cranky bastard.”