Chucky actor in ‘Child’s Play’ movies was 61

Ed Gale, the actor known for providing the physical performance behind the murderous Chucky doll in the Child’s Play slasher movies, died Tuesday in Los Angeles at 61.

Kayse Gale, his niece, disclosed the news in a heartfelt Facebook post that said, “It is with a heavy heart and a surprisingly light coffin (see what I did there?) that we announce the sudden passing of our uncle. Ed Gale has taken his final bow and is now headlining in the afterlife.”

The post added, “Ed hitched a ride to California when he was twenty years old, with $41 and a dream, and he never looked back. He lit up the silver screens in cult classic films like Howard the Duck and Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town, earning himself some serious street cred at every con he attended. Which he never stopped bragging about. Ever.”

Describing Gale as a “fun uncle,” Kayse wrote, “He delighted in the slow build up of telling a good story, and cheating at cribbage. He had one hell of a laugh, and he will be missed. Rest in love you cranky bastard.”

Born in Plainwell, Mich., in 1963, Gale moved to Los Angeles to become an actor and eventually accrued more than 130 credits in movies, TV shows, and commercials. He made his film debut in 1986 as one of several performers to suit up as the title character in Howard the Duck, starring opposite Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones, and Tim Robbins. (Chip Zien voiced Howard.)

Gale next donned a demonic doll suit as Chucky in Child’s Play. While Brad Dourif voiced the iconic horror character, a toy possessed with the soul of a serial killer, Gale physically portrayed Chucky in the original film and sequels Child’s Play 2 and Bride of Chucky.

In the decades that followed, Gale made frequent appearances at fan conventions. His other screen credits included Spaceballs, Land of the Lost, Baywatch, 3rd Rock From the Sun, My Name Is Earl, Tiptoes, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, and Friday the 13th: The Series.

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Gale’s death comes two years after he made headlines for being caught in a sting arranged by a group called Creep Catchers Unit and admitting that he solicited a person he thought was a minor for sex. The group turned over chat logs and evidence it had collected to the LAPD, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Per PEOPLE, the case was referred to the L.A. City Attorney’s Office in September 2023 for a possible misdemeanor filing. The office did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s for comment Wednesday.