Morgan Stevens, 'Melrose Place' Actor, Dead at 70
Actor Morgan Stevens, who starred on Melrose Place and Fame, has died. He was 70. Police were called to Stevens' home to do a wellness check, and they found him in his kitchen, sources told TMZ. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities do not suspect foul play and believe he died of natural causes.
Stevens was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and moved to Hollywood after graduating from college. He earned his first TV credits in 1979 when he starred in two episodes of One Day at a Time, the movie Up River, and the TV movie Peyton Place '79. He also starred in a 1979 episode of The Waltons as Sam Stodder, then played Paul Northridge in a 1981 episode. He reprised the Northridge role in A Wedding on Walton's Mountain, Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain, and A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain, all in 1982.
Stevens went on to appear in episodes of Brothers, Hollywood Beat, The Love Boat, Magnum, P.I., MacGyver, Murder, She Wrote, Hotel, and A Year in the Life. His biggest role was as teacher David Reardon on Fame from 1982 to 1984. In 1995, he starred in six episodes of Melrose Place as Nick Diamond. He made his final appearance in a 1999 episode of Walker, Texas Ranger.
In 1991, Stevens made headlines when he accused the Los Angeles Police Department of police brutality when he was taken into custody in 1989 after a traffic accident. He claimed he was beaten by two jailers after he refused to give back a shirt. He suffered a broken nose, fractured cheek, dislocated jaw, and nerve damage. He sued the city and reached an out-of-court settlement. "Let's just say I'm glad this is behind me and I'm looking forward now to resuming my life and career," Stevens told the Los Angeles Times after the settlement negotiations.
Melrose Place fans lost another member of the cast in 2020. Claudette Nevins, who starred as Constance Fielding, died on Feb. 20, 2020, her family said. She was 82. "Starting from very humble origins, Claudette grew herself into an elegant, articulate, gorgeous woman who was universally admired," her family said at the time. "She was dazzling. She will be endlessly missed."