‘Dennis the Menace' actor Jay North dead at 73

The Brief

• Child actor Jay North has died at the age of 73, according to reports.

• He was best known for playing the title character Dennis Mitchell in the 1960s sitcom "Dennis the Menace."

• He had reportedly been battling cancer.

Actor Jay North, who was known for playing the title character Dennis Mitchell in the 1960s sitcom "Dennis the Menace," has died, according to reports.

Forbes reported North has died at the age of 73, and that his passing was announced by his friend and former co-star Jeannie Russell.

Laurie Jacobson, who TMZ reports is a longtime friend of North and wife to "Lassie" actor Jon Provost, shared on Facebook that she’d heard the news from Russell as well.

She added that North had been fighting cancer for a number of years and that he died earlier on Sunday.

What they're saying

"As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after...but he did not let it define his life.  He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply," Jacobson wrote.

Big picture view

North’s IMDB bio reads that he found himself badly typecast after his time filming "Dennis the Menace" ended, and that his efforts to forge ahead with other projects proved difficult.

‘Dennis the Menace’

The backstory

"Dennis the Menace" aired from 1959 to 1963 and was based on the comic strip created by Hank Ketcham. North was just 8 years old when he began starring on the show.

The Source

Information in this article was taken from reportings from Forbes and TMZ, and a public social media post from Laurie Jacobson. Background information about North’s work was taken from IMDB. This story was reported from Detroit.