House of 1000 Corpses Actor Irwin Keyes Dead at 63: Rob Zombie Writes, ''He Will Be Missed by Us All''

Celeb, who suffered from acromegaly, a pituitary gland disorder, passed away on July 8

By Bruna Nessif Jul 09, 2015 2:40 AMTags
Irwin Keyes, ObitBobby Bank/WireImage

Actor Irwin Keyes has passed away at the age of 63.

The celeb—who portrayed a variety roles in films and TV shows, including House of 1000 Corpses and The Jeffersons—suffered from acromegaly, a pituitary gland disorder.

"It's with deep sympathy that I'm writing this post," Keyes' niece, Rene Galarza, wrote in a post to his Facebook page today to announce his death.

"Early this morning my family was informed that our beloved uncle, brother, teammate and friend, Irwin Keyes, has had his last curtain call. He is now an angel for us all and will be watching down. Our family wishes to thank all of you who have been a part of his life. He will be missed very much."

Rob Zombie, who worked with Keyes in House of 1000 Corpses, also took to Facebook to address the sad news, writing, "I have just heard the terrible news that our friend Irwin Keyes has passed away. Irwin was a cool guy and a big part of the House of 1000 Corpses family. He will be missed by us all."

The New York City native made his big screen debut in the 1979 cult classic The Warriors, where he played a police officer. He also appeared in a number of Woody Allen films, including Stardust Memories, The Exterminator and its sequel, The Flintstones. He was assassin Wheezy Joe in the Coen brothers movie Intolerable Cruelty and most recently appeared in the 2013 digital series Dead Kansas.

Along with playing George Jefferson's bodyguard on The Jeffersons, Keyes' TV credits included Police Squad, Married...With Children, Growing Pains and a 2007 episode of CSI.

He is survived by his wife, Tracy Fontaine.

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