21 Star Trek Actors Who Died In 2024
8. Whitney Rydbeck - 15th July 2024
Whitney Rydebck appeared in the second season episode of The Next Generation - Pen Pals, wherein he played one of Wesley Crusher's research team. He had, however, a long career in front of the camera both before and after this, including an appearance in one of the Friday The 13th sequels (Jason Lives, Part VI).
This role specifically came about due to his comedy skills and his long friendship with the film's director, Tommy McLoughlin. They had begun their collaborations in the early 70s at the Richmond Shephard Mime Group, then reunited in McLoughlin's L.A. Mime Company. Rydbeck would also appear in a series of road safety ads.
He and Tony Reitano played crash test dummies in these ads, highlighting the importance of wearing seatbelts. Rydbeck often reiterated the importance of wearing one's seatbelt while in a car, hoping that the headline 'Actor Who Played Crash Dummy Died for Not Buckling Up' would never appear, which it never did.
He appeared in many other productions and also spent several years teaching Drama at Pasadena City College.
He was 79 years old when he died.