Far too young and the end was tragic.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4765996.stm
May he rest in peace.
Slan,
D.
Wow. I was so aware of that guy growing up. My sister had a sort of crush on him after Oliver, and, as stupid as it was, we were the Pufnstuf generation. Though, the real fun was the spoofs my brother and I wrote based on the show and its theme song.
Hard to believe the pick in the article Dub referenced was really the same guy.
oh, my gosh! I remember watching him, too.
(and H.R.Puffinstuff was a dumb show)
bad news
I remember enjoying H.R.Puffinstuff when I was young, but I’m sure I’d hate it if I saw an episode today. Oh, and I never would’ve guessed that was Jack Wild playing Much the Miller’s Son in Costner’s “Robin Hood”.
Very sad news.
Funny, the thing that always sticks out in my mind from that film is the cry of “Bullseye” from ollie reed!
'Twas a hard sight to see.
I wonder if that intense fame , at such an early age, had not been there would his life have been different.
Following the links, he was discovered by Phil Collins mother and from there, in a short time, became a household name from “Oliver”.
The move to America and its consequent exposure must have been an overwheming experience for a young boy, a boy who a few short years before , was just another kid in another place where nobody knew your name.
His rise to fame always struck me as a exploitation of his image as a “cheeky chappie”, an accent combined with a look that was “different” to American audiences.
A Child star today will have a huge entourage of nurses, teachers, minders and all sorts of people around them.
Who was there for Jack..
Who made a fortune…
Who cares…
Slan,
D.
How sad! One of our favorite movies is Oliver! and he, of course, was the biggest favorite of the movie (the kids are always quoting him…“Fagin! These sausages are moldy!”). May he rest in peace 
Never having seen Oliver and vomiting blood when watching Pufnstuf I guess I don’t know who he is. But 53 is quite young.