Lance Kerwin, who rose to prominence in the 1970s via television series such as Salem’s Lot and James at 16, has passed away. He was 62.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Kerwin’s daughter Savanah confirmed that he had died the day before. No reason for death was given.
“I am so sorry to those we have not been able to reach out to personally to notify but Lance Kerwin passed away yesterday morning”
– she wrote beside a family picture.
“We appreciate all the kind words, memories, and prayers that have been shared. As the coming weeks progress, I will share more information about after-life ceremonies.”
“He loved each and every one of you”
– she said at the end of the post.
Kerwin started acting in the early 1970s with the help of his mother, who was a booking agent, and his father, who was an acting coach.
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His first big series was The Family Holvak, which starred Glenn Ford and Julie Harris and came out in 1975. The Loneliest Runner, Michael Landon’s autobiographical drama about a teen who wets the bed, gave him his big break the next year.
“I’d had some experience along those lines myself”
– he told PEOPLE at the time of his role.
“I got some teasing at school, but I also got the idea that the show hit home in a personal way for some of the kids.”
In 1977, he played James, the main character in the two-hour TV movie James at 15, which was about the struggles of a serious Boston high school student. His role led to the TV show James at 16, and at the time, Kerwin was the best-paid teen actor on TV.
Soon after that, he played one of his most well-known roles in the 1979 limited series Salem’s Lot, which was based on the Stephen King horror novel of the same name. He was also in Little House on the Prairie, ABC Afterschool Specials, and Wonder Woman.
He continued acting on and off in the ’80s, but he eventually gave it up for a career in youth evangelism and eventually joined the U-Turn for Christ ministry in Perrin, California.
A GoFundMe campaign set up to help Kerwin get back into acting in 2021 says that he started working for the U-Turn for Christ ministry on the small Hawaiian island of Kauai in 2006.
After the news of his death got out, fellow child star Ike Eiseman wrote a touching Instagram post about him.
“I am beyond heartbroken to hear of the passing of one of my greatest friends and co-stars I have ever worked with, Lance Kerwin”
– expressed Eiseman in the caption of the post.
“He was the child actor that inspired me to be the best that I could be because he was the best I had ever seen. Rest in peace my friend.”
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