Michael Gray, who played Billy Batson in the CBS series "Shazam!" and graced many Tiger Beat magazine covers as a teen idol in the '70s, has died. He was 75.
Gray's publicist told TVLine, Entertainment Weekly and other publications on Oct. 22 that the actor died Oct. 16 of natural causes.
Gray broke out in the early 1970s by playing Ronnie Collins on Season 1 of the NBC sitcom "The Little People" starring Brian Keith and Shelley Fabares, which was later renamed "The Brian Keith Show." In 1973, Gray appeared on "The Brady Bunch" as Marcia's boyfriend Jeff before landing the role that would define his career.
In the Saturday morning series "Shazam!," which aired from 1974 to 1976, Gray played teenager Billy Batson, who transformed into the superhero
Captain Marvel by shouting "Shazam!" Jackson Bostwick initially portrayed Captain Marvel before John Davey took over the role.
Nearly five decades later, Gray made a cameo in 2023's "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," sharing a scene with Zachary Levi, who played the superhero. Asher Angel portrayed Billy Batson.
Gray stepped away from Hollywood following his rocketing fame in the '70s – due to feeling typecast and unable to land other roles – before returning in 2016 with the superhero comedy "Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel," according to his IMDB page.
Gray also lent his voice to the animated series "Archer," playing a fictionalized version of himself who was the childhood idol of the show's title character, Sterling Archer. He appeared in several episodes across Seasons 6 and 10.
"Shazam! is such a major part of my life," Gray told Fanboy Planet in 2012 after Warner Archive Collection announced the '70s series would be released on DVD. "And for thirty some odd years, it just collected dust."
He added, "I run into people ten times a week who ask me, 'When is Shazam! going to come out on DVD?' ... And they just showed it (at San Diego Comic-Con), it's happening now."
He told the blog that he was unfamiliar with Captain Marvel before being called in to audition for Billy and swiftly earning the part.
"I liked it. It was a lot of fun," he said. "I didn't know how much I would like it until years later when I found out how much of an influence my character was, and the show was, in people's lives. I had no clue."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michael Gray, 'Shazam!' star and '70s teen idol, dies at 75
