Star of MTV show ‘The Maxx’ was 67

Michael Haley, the actor who voiced the titular superhero on the gritty MTV animated series The Maxx, died Saturday morning following a “very abrupt battle with cancer.” He was 67.

His son, Brendan Haley, confirmed the news to Entertainment Weekly and said in a statement, “Our family remains shocked and saddened by the rapid onset of his illness, but despite these tragic circumstances, we pressed close to ensure he was comfortable and surrounded by those he loved fiercely in the last days of his life. I remember my father as innately kind with a goofy sense of humor, traits he kept through these last few weeks, and the same traits best seen across his work in television, film, and radio.”

Brendan memorialized his father as a “fearless and unique” performer, adding, “While we miss him dearly, Dad can always be found roaming the wilds of that other jungle world with the Leopard Queen, performing tremendous feats of heroism.”

Haley was best known for his work on The Maxx, which was released in 1995 and ran for 13 episodes. Based on the Image Comics series by Sam Kieth, the show centers on Haley’s hulking purple hero, who alternates between existence in the fantastical Outback world, where he defends the Leopard Queen, and in grounded reality, where he lives as a vagrant.

Haley was born in 1957 and began acting in his youth in Southern California. Two of his earliest credits came as a background actor in massive 1970s blockbusters. He appeared as a background player in the climax of the 1976 remake of King Kong starring Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges, and also acted in the 1978 hit Grease. Haley booked the latter gig as a student at Culver City High School, where he heard about the musical’s production through friends. He can be seen in the “Born to Hand Jive” sequence, where he shared the screen with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

Upon graduating high school, Haley was accepted to London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts but ultimately declined the opportunity to focus on his work in Los Angeles and New York.

Around the same time as The Maxx, Haley contributed voice work to Blizzard Entertainment’s seminal video game Diablo. His Maxx costar Glynnis Talken Campbell also provided voice work in the game.

Haley later worked as an audio engineer for southern California’s PBS station, KCET, until 2015. He continued taking small acting roles until the end of his life.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Haley’s final voice performance came in an episode of the horror-comedy audio series It Listens From the Radio, which Brendan Haley and his partner, Michael Varrati, worked on during the Covid-19 pandemic. The elder Haley portrayed the Crunch Munch monster in the episode “Balanced Breakfast.”

Haley is survived by his wife, his daughter, and his son.