Jeff Conaway Death: Age, Injury, Autopsy, Net Worth

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Profile Summary

Name: Jeff Conaway
Occupation: Actor
Citizenship: American
Ethnicity: White

Jeffrey Conaway was an American actor and singer, best known for playing “Kenickie” in the film “Grease” and “Bobby Wheeler” on the American television series “Taxi.”

Early Life

Jeffrey Charles William Michael Conaway, known professionally as Jeffrey Conaway, was born October 5, 1950, in Manhattan, New York, U.S.

His parent were both involved in the entertainment industry; his father, Charles, was an actor, producer, and publisher, while his mother Helen, an actress and music teacher. His parents got at the age of three, so he grew up living between his mother and grandparents in South Carolina.

At the age of 10, Jeffrey landed his first featured role in the play “All the Way Home” by accompanying his mother to a casting call.

The play, directed by Arthur Penn, was later nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play.

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Due to the play’s success ran 333 performances; Jeffrey was part of the entire run and its tour. As a result of this exposure, he had the opportunity to work as a child model.

Jeffrey attended the Quintano School for Young Professionals, later, at 15, enrolled at the North Carolina School of the Arts before transferring to New York University.

Acting Career

His professional acting career began at NYU, where he appeared in television commercials.

He got his film debut in 1971, with the romantic drama “Jennifer on My Mind.”

Later on, he landed a role in the Broadway musical “Grease,” which he played for two years six months. Then, in 1978, the motion picture for the musical was introduced with Jeffery playing the role of “Kenickie.”

In 1975 he debuted into television series with the series” Happy Days” subsequently, he made other appearances, including 1978 “Taxi,” where he was cast as Bobby Wheeler.”

Unfortunately, he left after the third season of the television series, partly due to drug abuse.

Jeffrey was dissatisfied with being typecast as a “blond bimbo” and felt creatively stymied. After “Taxi” in 1983, he was cast in the series “Wizards and Warriors.”

He also made an appearance in the films “Jawbreaker,” “Elvira: Mistress of the Dark,” and “Do You Wanna Know a Secret?”.

In 1989, Jeffrey landed a recurring role as Mick Savage on ” The Bold and the Beautiful.”

Soon after that, in 1994, he was cast for another recurring role on “Babylon 5”, in which he acted until 1999 as Sergeant and later on as Security Chief, Zack Allan.

Jeffrey in 2010 provided a voice-over for the short film “Dante’s Hell Animated”; the film was later released in 2013.

Music career

Jeffrey Conaway was part of a rock band in the mid-1960s, where he was the lead singer and guitarist. The band, known as “The 3 1/2”, recorded four singles between 1966 and 1967.

In 1979, Jeffrey recorded his debut solo album under Columbia Records. The album, titled after himself, had singles like” City Boy,” among others.

In 2001, he released his second album, “It Doesn’t Make Sense You Can’t Make Peace,” under the KEGMusic record label.

Who was Jeff Conaway married to?

Jeffrey Conaway, at the age of 21, got married to a dancer. However, the marriage was short-lived. Later on, in 1980, he married Rona Newton-John. The pair were together for five years before going for a divorce in 1985.

His third marriage was to Kerri Young; the two tied the knot in 1990 and divorced in 2000. After his third marriage, the actor began a codependent relationship with Vikki Lizzi, an actress.

The relationship was termed complicated as they often broke up and got back together on several occasions.

However, the actor was with Vikki until the time of his death in 2011. He had no children from his previous marriages or relationship.

Is Jeff Conaway dead?

From his teenage, Jeffrey Conaway was struggling with substance abuse. He underwent treatment but would often have a relapse.

From his appearance in the 2008 episode of the VH1 reality series “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew,” it was revealed that he had been addicted to cocaine, alcohol, and painkillers: due to a back pain he sustained while filming a scene on “Grease.”

What happened to Jeff Conaway?

In August 2009, the actor was interviewed on Entertainment Tonight, where he revealed he was much better after a fifth back operation and had stopped using painkillers.

However, on May 11, 2011, Jeffrey Conaway was found unconscious in his apartment by his girlfriend, Vikki Lizzi.

What disease did Jeff Conaway have?

It was initially believed that the actor had overdosed on pain medication, but further investigation revealed he had suffered from pneumonia with sepsis and had to be placed into an induced coma.

How old was Jeff Conaway When he passed away?

On May 26, 2011, despite Vikki disagreeing with the decision, it was agreed by Jeffrey’s family that he should be taken off life support after the doctors revealed they could do nothing to revive him. His death took place the following morning at age 60.