Another Member of the Sweathogs Has Died – Ron Palillo

Earlier this year, Bobby Hegyes, who played Juan Epstein on Welcome Back Kotter, passed away. Now, another member of the Sweathogs is gone.  Ron Palillo who played Arnold Horshack has died.  He was 63. According to WPTV Tuesday Morningg Palillo passed away at his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

You might recall Palillo's Horshack from Welcome Back Kotter and his distinctive laugh. He was also know for his catchphrase  "Ooh, ooh! Mr. Kotter!".

After Kotter, Palillo had other supporting TV roles, provided the voice for some animated shows such as Darkwing Duck, and in 1996, he played himself in a few episodes of the TV show Ellen. He also created the artwork for two children's books, and appeared onstage in productions of Amadeus and Guys and Dolls. His first play, The Lost Boy, was produced in 2005.

In recent years, Palillo had been a teacher at the G-Star School of the Arts for Motion Pictures and Broadcasting.

He is survived by his partner of 41 years, Joseph Gramm.