Fame star dies

Gene Anthony Ray, an actor and dancer best known for his roles in the 1980 film Fame and its spin-off television series, has died. He was 41.

Ray died in New York of complications from a stroke he had in June and was also HIV positive, said his mother, Jean Ray.

Like Leroy, the rebellious character he played in Fame, Ray attended New York’s High School of the Performing Arts, but the school was “too disciplined for this wild child of mine,” his mother said. Ray dropped out after a year.

Ray returned to the role of Leroy for the Fame television series, which ran from 1982 to 1987.

He went on to appear in the films Out of Sync and Eddie, starring Whoopi Goldberg.