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American actor Morgan Stevens has sadly died at age 70. The Melrose Place star was found at his home on Wednesday, January 26, after police carried out a wellness check.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) confirmed to Newsweek there was no sign of foul play and that he likely died of natural causes. The official cause of death examination is pending.
In the wake of his passing, fans and famous faces left emotional tributes online. Stevens shot to fame as Paul Northridge in the drama series The Waltons. He appeared in three of their reunion movies before landing his breakout role on Fame as teacher David Reardon.
Newsweek has taken a look back at Stevens' top five roles over his long career.
The Top 5 Iconic Morgan Stevens TV Roles
1. Melrose Place
Melrose Place was Morgan Stevens best-known role. In the soap opera, he played the role of Nick Diamond, the Parezi family attorney.
Nick Diamond arrived on the scene as part of the dramatic storyline where Amanda Woodward (played by Heather Locklear) pushed Jack Parezi (Antonio Sabato Jr.) over a balcony. He sustained serious injuries and later died in hospital and lawyer Nick Diamond knew somebody out there was responsible for Jack's death.
Steven's character Nick was also responsible for reuniting father and son, Bobby Parezi (John Enos III) and Vince Parezi (David Groh) at Jack's funeral.
He only appeared in seven episodes throughout 1995, but made his mark in the show's legacy as one of its most memorable characters.
You can watch Stevens in Melrose Place now via Paramount+.
2. Fame
Stevens starred in the NBC musical-drama series Fame, which aired between 1982 and 1987.
The series was based on the 1980 film of the same name. In Fame, Stevens played the role of teacher David Reardon, appearing in Seasons 2, 3, and 4.
In Fame, he starred opposite Debbie Allen, Albert Hague and Carol Mayo Jenkins and performed musical hits such as '"Ya got trouble" from the 1957 Broadway musical, The Music Man.
Fame, the series, is streaming on Hulu now.
3. The Waltons
Stevens rose to fame in the 1970s for starring as Paul Northridge in The Waltons, a historical drama series about a family living in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II.
He only appeared in one episode of the TV series as Paul, but went on to reprise the role in three reunion movies: Wedding on Walton's Mountain, Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain, and A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain.
In Wedding on Walton's Mountain, his character married Mary Elizabeth McDonough's character, Erin Walton.
Stevens would return to the series for one episode in the entirely new role of Sam Stodder, John-Boy's (Richard Thomas) hospital roommate.
The Waltons is streaming on Amazon Prime Video now.
4. A Year in the Life
From 1986 to 1988, Stevens starred as Jack Gardner in NBC's A Year in the Life.
The series followed the lives of Joe Garnder (Richard Kiley) and his children: Anne (Wendy Phillips), Jack (Morgan Stevens) and Sam (David Oliver) and their respective partners and children.
In A Year in the Life, Stevens' character's love interest, Dr. Alice Foley, was played by Star Trek's Diana Muldaur.
Also starring alongside Stevens in A Year in the Life were Sarah Jessica Parker, Adam Arkin and Jayne Atkinson.
5. Walker, Texas Ranger
Stevens' last TV appearance was as Principal Max Hanson in a 1999 episode of Walker, Texas Ranger. The series concluded in 2001, with Stevens never reprising the role.
In the episode, Stevens appeared alongside Chuck Norris, Clarence Gilyard Jr., Sheree J. Wilson, and Noble Willingham.
The series recently returned as a reboot on The CW, starring Lindsey Morgan, Keegan Allen, Mitch Pileggi, Molly Hagan, and Coby Bell.
Walker, Texas Ranger is streaming on Stan now.
About the writer
Molli Mitchell is a Senior SEO TV and Film Newsweek Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on ... Read more