Gene Anthony Ray, 41; Actor-Dancer in Film and TV Series ‘Fame’
Gene Anthony Ray, 41, an actor and dancer best known for his roles in the 1980 movie “Fame” and its spin-off television series, died Nov. 14 in New York.
Ray died in Manhattan of complications from a stroke that he had suffered in June, and he was HIV-positive, said his mother, Jean Ray.
Like Leroy, the rebellious character he played in “Fame,” Ray attended New York’s High School of the Performing Arts, but the school was “too disciplined for this wild child of mine,” his mother said. He dropped out after a year.
Ray returned to the role of Leroy for the “Fame” television series, which ran from 1982 to 1987. He went on to appear in the films “Out of Sync” (1995) and “Eddie” (1996), starring Whoopi Goldberg.
He appears in a “Fame” reunion documentary, “Fame Remember My Name,” which was taped in April for the BBC but has not yet aired.
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