Gerard Parkes, who children of the ‘80s will always remember as Doc in Fraggle Rock, died on Sunday. He was 90 years old.
Parkes died in Toronto, just four days after he turned 90, his niece and agent told CBC News.
Parkes was born in Dublin, but moved to Canada, where he began his career in entertainment on radio in the 1950s. He migrated to television in the 1960s, appearing on The Forest Rangers and the children’s show Shining Time Station. Parkes also starred in Canadian films, earning an award for 1968’s Isabel.
For American children, he will always be the beloved Doc, the inventor who lived above the Fraggles in Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock series. Entertainment Weekly notes that he played the part from 1983 to 1987 and again in A Muppet Family Christmas in 1987.
"He had a thrill doing that show," Gerry Jordon, the actor’s agent, told CBC News. "We got loads of fan mail from kids and adults around the world."
Parkes is also known for appearing in The Boondock Saints and its follow-up.
Parks is survived by Sheelagh Norman, his partner for 20 years.