Former child star Jay North, who was best known for his role as the titular character in Dennis the Menace, has died at the age of 73 after battling colorectal cancer. Laurie Jacobson, whose husband is Jon Provost, confirmed the news via Facebook after learning of North’s passing from his Dennis the Menace costar Jeanne Russell.
“Jeanne Russell just called us with terribly sad, but not unexpected news,” Jacobson shared on Sunday, April 6. “Our dear friend JAY NORTH has been fighting cancer for a number of years and this morning at noon EST, Jay passed peacefully at home. As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after…but he did not let it define his life. He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with ‘I love you with all my heart.’ And we loved him with all of ours.”
She concluded the message by adding, “A life-long friend of Jon’s, a brother to Jeanne and a dear friend to me, we will miss him terribly. He is out of pain now. His suffering is over. At last he is at peace.”
North played Dennis Mitchell on all four seasons of Dennis the Menace from 1959 to 1963. After the show ended, North struggled to find steady work as an actor, although he continued to make guest appearances on television shows in the 1960s. He landed a role in the 1966 film Maya and the reprised it in the subsequent television series of the same name, but the show only lasted for one season in the late 60s.
The former star then transitioned more into voice acting for various animated series. He also had a brief theater career and made his last starring role in the 1974 film The Teacher. Over the next few years, North tried to revive his acting career, but ended up enlisting for the Navy when he was unsuccessful. He left on honorable discharge in 1979. Following a few small roles in the early 1980s, including a week-long stint on General Hospital, North mostly retreated from the spotlight. He ended up working as a correctional officer in Florida after ending his acting career.
North was married three times. His first wife was Kathleen Brucher, whom he met in 1972 while appearing in Butterflies Are Free. They married the following year, but divorced in October 1974. He then wed Rositia in 1991, but they separated just three months later.
At the time of his death, North was married to Cindy Hackney, whom he married in 1993. He became a stepfather to her three daughters from a previous relationship and they never had any children of their own.
