Gabe Kaplan: A Look Back at the Life and Career of TV's "Welcome Back, Kotter" Star

It's been twenty-five years since the tragic death of groundbreaking African-American actress Gail Fisher. She was best known for her Emmy, Golden Globe, and NAACP Image award-winning performance as Peggy Fair on TV's long-running Mannix detective series (CBS, 1967-1976). Fisher, who was one of the first female Black actors to appear on a weekly show in a regular capacity, was also a successful jazz lyricist. Sadly, however, she battled substance abuse and eventually died of renal failure in a Los Angeles hospital on December 2, 2000. She was only 65 years old. This is her story.

Elizabeth Montgomery, who died of cancer in 1995, was one of the most popular TV stars of her time. She was adored as Samantha Stephens, the "witch-with-a-twitch" on Bewitched (ABC, 1964-1972), due to a series of acclaimed small-screen films (beginning with A Case of Rape and The Legend of Lizzie Borden), she was considered the first "Queen of TV-movies" (long before Jane Seymour, Jaclyn Smith, Lindsay Wagner or Valerie Bertinelli).

[Note: Unless otherwise indicated, this article features commentary from interviews conducted by the author with those mentioned.]. He's best known as Timmy in TV's legendary family series, Lassie. He's triumphed over the challenges of being a former child star. He's utilized his public persona for the betterment of humanity. His name is Jon Provost, and he's now 75 years old. This is his remarkable story.

Beloved actress/singer Sandy Duncan is best known for her two classic CBS TV sitcoms, Funny Face (1971) and The Sandy Duncan Show (1972). She also later became popular for a series of Walt Disney feature films, and a Broadway reboot of tation of Peter Pan. At the height of her TV show's success, Duncan was stricken with a brain tumor that ultimately resulted in the loss of sight in her left eye. But the multi-talented performer prevailed. Today, she's 79 years old. This is her story.

Character actors Victor Kilian and Charles Wagenhein were brutally killed shortly after they both appeared in an episode of All in the Family. This is their story. On March 25, 1979, Victor Kilian, 88, appeared in an episode of All in the Family, "The Return of Stephanie's Father," playing a desk clerk in a not-so-luxurious hotel.

According to KTLA news and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, beloved KCAL-TV evening news anchor Chauncy Glover died of an accidental “acute intoxication” from methamphetamine and chloroethane.

A cruise vacation didn't go exactly as planned for Jason and Tammy Merritt when their luggage never showed up at their cabin on Carnival Magic. According to news reports, the incident resulted in a lifetime ban for another passenger and a complex legal situation.

My wife and I are struggling to agree on tithing. She’s been attending church regularly for years, and while I respect her faith, I don’t participate. Recently, she asked to start giving 10% of our joint income to her church, which is a significant amount for us financially. I told her I’m uncomfortable donating that much to an institution I’m not involved with, and it turned into a heated argument. She says tithing is non-negotiable for her faith, and my refusal feels like a rejection of her values.

On screen or off, actress Barbara Stanwyck never pulled any punches. The multi-award winning star, who died 35 years ago, enjoyed a career that spanned six decades on both TV and at the movies. She portrayed strong-willed characters and had a strong backbone in real life. This is her story.

It's been two years since the tragic demise of actress and former child star Lisa Loring, best known as the initial Wednesday Addams in the original TV adaptation of The Addams Family (ABC, 1964-1966). As her friend, acclaimed entertainment journalist Laurie Jacobson, had reported on Facebook, Loring, who was only 64, had “suffered a massive stroke brought on by smoking and high blood pressure.”

I started my flock 3 years ago thinking it’d be wholesome and cheap. Spoiler: It’s ​neither. Here’s my reality check:. 1️⃣ ​500+startercosts: Coopmaterials(300—lumber ain’t cheap!), heat lamps (60),chickfeed(20/bag).

It's been eight years since the tragic demise of beloved actor Adam West, best known as TV's original Bruce Wayne/Caped Crusader on Batman (ABC, 1966-1968). He died of leukemia on June 9, 2017, at 88 years old. This is his story.

Veteran rock star Bret Michaels is now 62 years old. Like many creative souls in the music and entertainment industries, Michaels has faced his share of personal and professional challenges. This is his story.

He was a talented, charismatic actor who won an Oscar and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But he was also a troubled and tortured soul with severe physical and mental challenges. His name was Gig Young, who died in a double murder-suicide in 1978. Nearly fifty years later, this is his tragic story.

As days get warmer and longer, Georgia's slumbering bears begin to venture out of their winter dens in search of food. And for female bears, that responsibility is greater because bear cubs are born in January and February, according to Bearwise.com. And that makes food-finding job one for mamma bear.

I’m (30s F) struggling with a situation involving my husband (30s M) and his best friend’s wife, “Anna” (30s F). Recently, I accidentally saw a text from Anna on his phone where she was venting about her marriage issues. Turns out, she’s been regularly calling and texting him about this for weeks, and he never mentioned it to me. When I asked him about it, he got defensive, insisted he was “just being a good friend,” and we ended up in a huge fight.

Frank Sinatra was one of the most generous and successful entertainers in history. According to the book Sinatra and Me: In The Wee Small Hours by Tony Oppedisano, Sinatra's colleague, friend, and confidant, the superstar singer viewed generosity and success as infinitely intertwined.

Okay, let’s be real—money changes everything. Especially how you treat men. Before, I’d tolerate their bullshit for weeks, nodding along while they forgot to text me back or blew off plans. But now? Mic drop. I’ve reached my limit. If a guy cancels on me twice, I’m done. My inner scoreboard pops up: ​Minus 10 points. Next time? ​Game over.

Beloved actor Will Geer, who died in 1978, was best known for his role as Grandpa Walton on The Waltons, TV's famed country-family drama (CBS, 1972-1981). He would later establish a renowned outdoor theatre, which indirectly was a result of his being blacklisted early in his career. Here's the story.

My best friend is pregnant, and she recently told me the name they have picked out for their baby. As soon as she said it("Hellzel"), I was taken aback. To me, the name sounded really strange and not at all something I would associate with a cute, innocent baby.

My parents’ will splits their estate equally between me, my brother, and sister. Growing up in a toxic environment where my mother was emotionally abusive, I’ve worked hard to build stability for my daughter, who’s now in college. My brother already owns two homes—one occupied rent-free by his adult child—yet his kids insist it’s “fair” to buy out my share of our childhood home for $15K, despite its $120K value. I’ve demanded a professional appraisal and equal split to support my daughter’s education, but they’re accusing me of selfishness. My brother even proposed a bidding war, which feels manipulative.

It's been 40 years since the debut of Moonlighting, the ground-breaking ABC TV-series that originally aired from 1985 to 1989, and starred a feuding (on screen and off) Cybil Shepherd and Bruce Willis.

I’m a Taurus, and my boyfriend is a Gemini. We’ve been together for five years—five whole years—and this man just told me he’s “not sure he ever really felt loved.” Meanwhile, I’ve been here, solid as a rock, showing up, remembering every little thing he likes, sticking around through all his chaos. But apparently, since I don’t throw grand speeches or act like I’m in a rom-com, my love doesn’t count?

It's been ten years since the tragic death of acclaimed Star Trek legend Leonard Nimoy, who portrayed Mr. Spock in the sci-fi/fantasy media franchise that began in 1966 with Star Trek: The Original Series (as it's now known). Nimoy died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a progressive lung condition. He was 83 years old, and this is his story.

I've always considered Anna my best friend. We've been through so much together over the years, from celebrating each other's achievements to getting through tough break - ups.

So, I’m almost about to give birth, and suddenly, my husband’s mom is acting like the dog police. We have two dogs, and she’s completely freaking out, saying they’ll hurt the baby. She’s scared of dogs in general and has this old-school mindset that everything must be baby-safe.

On March 17, 2025, it will be two years since the tragic death of actor Lance Reddick, best known for HBO's The Wire and the John Wick feature films. He was only 60 years old when, as ABC News noted at the time, he died suddenly from natural causes. Though it was later documented that he succumbed to schemic heart disease. This is his sad story.

If your dog lives chained in the yard or banished to a doghouse, they’re not family—they’re prisoners. I’ll never understand the mindset of getting a social, pack-bonding animal just to isolate them in the cold/heat/boredom.

Cleaning out my closet last week, I stumbled on his bed—still indented, still covered in faint paw-shaped dust. Three years since I said goodbye, and suddenly I was sobbing on the floor, scrolling through photos of his goofy grin and squirrel-chasing glory days. Grief doesn’t fade; it just waits in ambush.

We’ve been married for less than a month, and I’m already going on my honeymoon alone. Why? Because my husband decided his little sister needed him more. She just got a new place and needed help moving in. Instead of telling her he had a honeymoon to go on, he dropped everything. No discussion, no compromise—just, “I can’t go.” I was shocked. We’d been planning this trip for months, and now I was supposed to just cancel because his sister suddenly needed a hand with boxes?