Salem’s Lot child star Lance Kerwin has died aged 62.
The news was anounced by the actor’s daughter, Savanah, who shared the news on Facebook on Wednesday (25 January). A cause of death has not been disclosed.
“I am so sorry to those we have not been able to reach out to personally to notify but Lance Kerwin passed away yesterday morning [24 January],” Savanah wrote.
“We appreciate all the kind words, memories, and prayers that have been shared. As the coming weeks progress, I will share more information about after-life ceremonies.”
Savanah said that her father “loved each and every one” of his fans.
Kerwin rose to fame in the 1970s thanks to roles in the Glenn Ford-starring series The Family Holvak and drama The Loneliest Runner.
He also played the title role in James at 15, which told the story of a high school student in Boston. The follow-up, titled James at 16, saw Kerwin become the highest-paid youngster on TV at that time.
Kerwin went on to win the role of Mark Petrie in Tobe Hooper’s 1979 TV adaptation of the Stephen King novel Salem’s Lot, which was first published in 1975. The miniseries starred James Mason and David Soul.
Roles continued into the 1980s, but in the late 1990s, Kerwin quit Hollywood to begin serving as a youth minister. He went on to work at the U-Turn for Christ ministry in California.
Kerwin’s fellow child star Ike Eisenmann, who remained friends with the actor after they both starred in 1976’s The Amazing Cosmic Awareness of Duffy Moon, paid tribute on Instagram, writing: “I am beyond heartbroken to hear of the passing of one of my greatest friends and co-stars I have ever worked with, Lance Kerwin.
“He was the child actor that inspired me to be the best that I could be because he was the best I had ever seen. Rest in peace my friend.”
