Gay (but not out) actor Ron Palillo, forever famous as Horshack on Welcome Back Kotter and later a beloved acting coach, has died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the age of 63. He was found by his partner Joe. Best wishes to Joe and RIP to a sweet-seeming individual I was pleased to have been friends with on Facebook.

Most recently, I remember hearing of his boxing bout with Dustin "Screech" Diamond that started as a joke but ended with bruises and bruised feelings.

Robert Hegyes, Juan Epstein from Kotter, died at 60 earlier this year.

If you're too young to remember Bananas, or too old to know it, society would probably frown on us if we dated

Are more celebrities dying than usual this year, or do we just care more than we would have in the past? Are there just more famous folks than there once were, so the % of them dying is the same but the raw numbers are arresting? Is this like how the media claims shark attacks are on the rise and 17 people a year die from them?