Marcus York, ‘The Office’ Actor, Dead at 55

A member of The Office family has died. Marcus York, who is well remembered by fans for playing the Scranton Business Park property owner Billy Merchant in the earlier seasons of the comedy series, died at the age of 55, TMZ reported this week. An exact cause of death has not yet been released, though the outlet reports he died following an illness.

York’s father told the outlet that York suffered a medical emergency after developing an infection during a trip to see his mother last week and passed away on the way to Miami Valley Hospital in Ohio. While York is from Ohio, he eventually made the move to California to pursue an acting career. In addition to appearing on The Office, the actor appeared in CSI: New York and Fighting Words.

York appeared on The Office several times over the years. His first and most notable appearance came in Season 2. The actor had a starring turn in the Season 2 episode, “The Injury.” During the episode, Billy, who was the property manager of Scranton Business Park, was invited to speak to the employees at Dunder Mifflin after Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) suffered an injury after stepping on a George Foreman grill. Michael asked Billy, who used a wheelchair, to speak with the employees in order to raise awareness about those with disabilities.

In the episode, Billy explained that he had been using a wheelchair since he was four years old and claimed, “I don’t really notice it anymore.” The character was subsequently seen in various other episodes over the years, including another in Season 2, “Casino Night.” Billy also appeared in Season 4 during the show’s “Fun Run.” While he didn’t speak in the episode, his character could be seen passing by Michael, who gave up during the course of the run (which was set up to raise awareness about rabies). Billy was subsequently seen in Season 5 when Michael was on the hunt for another location for his own paper company.

Michael called Billy to help him find a location for his new paper company, The Michael Scott Paper Company. Although, the only location that Billy had available was the storage unit in the same building that Dunder Mifflin was in. York’s character on The Office reflected his own life, as he became a paraplegic in 1988. The actor, who most recently worked as an inventor, is survived by his father, mother, and brother.