Yesterday the sad news arrived of American actor Jeff Conaway’s (photo ©Mumofthreedevils) death due to complications of pneumonia.

Jeffrey Charles William Michael Conaway was born on October 5, 1950 in New York. His father was an actor, producer and agent, his mother was an actress. It was almost inevitable that Jeff Conaway became an actor since his childhood.

Jeff Conaway made his debut on Broadway at just 10 and began working for cinema and television in the ’70s. During her career he worked in many films but “Grease” is by far the most famous.

On television Jeff Conaway was a guest star in popular TV shows, beginning with “Happy Days” and in 1978 he joined the regular cast of the series “Taxi”, where he worked until 1981.

Between 1989 and 1990 Jeff Conaway worked in the soap opera “Beautiful”.

In 1994 Jeff Conaway started working on his longest lasting job when he joined the cast of the series “Babylon 5”, where he worked until 1999 as he participated in three telefilms connected to this TV show.

During his life Jeff Conaway has been married twice but both marriages ended in a divorce.

Unfortunately Jeff Conaway has been struggling since adolescence with a tendency to depression and problems with addiction to cocaine, alcohol and painkillers. More than once he has gone through rehabilitation programs but has also had several relapses into addiction.

In 2010 a fall at home resulted in some broken bones and Jeff Conaway had relapsed into depression.

The May 11, 2011 Jeff Conaway was found unconscious and urgently hospitalized. The first thought was that it was an overdose but the doctor who was treating him stated that Conaway had contracted pneumonia but didn’t cure it until it was too late.

Unfortunately Jeff Conaway’s conditions got worse and worse until yesterday the doctors established that there was nothing to do and his family agreed to have him taken off life support.

It’s particularly sad to see someone defeated by his inner demons and it’s of little comfort to know that now he rests in peace.