Old Yeller child star Kevin Corcoran has died at the age of 66.
The actor, who played the youngest son in the classic 1957 drama and went on to work as a producer on TV series such as Sons of Anarchy and The Shield, died Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif., from complications of cancer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
His wife, Laura, tells THR that Corcoran passed away at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after a five-year battle with colorectal cancer (also known as colon cancer, rectal cancer or bowel cancer).
Corcoran most famous role was that of Arliss Coates, the youngest son of Jim (Fess Parker) and Katie (Dorothy McGuire) and the brother of Travis (Tommy Kirk), in the post-Civil War tear-jerker Old Yeller, which revolved around the family's heroic dog.
He and Kirk returned for the 1963 sequel Savage Sam, a tale about another courageous canine, which just so happened to be Old Yeller's son.
The Santa Monica native attended California State University, Northridge for college, and quickly entered the industry with his first producing job on the 1978 Disney film Return From Witch Mountain.
He also produced the 1983 pilot episode of CBS' Scarecrow and Mrs. King and went on to serve as a second assistant director. Corcoran was also part of TV series such as Simon & Simon, Baywatch, Quantum Leap, Murder, She Wrote and Providence.
Corcoran was "a delightful person and producer, including on The Shield," that series' creator, Shawn Ryan, said on Twitter.
His survivors include his wife of 43 years, Laura, and four siblings.
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