The Heartbreaking Death Of Melrose Place Actor Morgan Stevens

On Wednesday, TMZ broke the news that "Melrose Place" actor Morgan Stevens had died at the age of 70 from natural causes. According to TMZ, a neighbor called the police to do a wellness check on the actor after they had not heard from him in a few days. Police then found Stevens dead in his home's kitchen on Wednesday.

Though he hasn't appeared in any film or television projects since the 1990s, you still might recognize Stevens from numerous projects throughout the 1980s and early part of the 1990s. Stevens had memorable roles on projects like "A Year in the Life," "The Waltons," "Roses are for the Rich," "The Return of Marcus Welby M.D.," "Melrose Place," and, perhaps most famously, "Fame," per TMZ and People. For two seasons in the 1980s, Stevens portrayed teacher David Reardon. "I've been very fortunate to have had such steady work, and I've enjoyed all the roles, but 'Fame' is special to me," Morgan said in an interview published on Fame Forever's website (via Newsner). "I've always wanted to have a regular, continuing role on a series so I could really develop a character and bring him along through experiences and changes. I think I'm very lucky that I got to do it on 'Fame.'"

Apart from his acting career, Stevens has also made headlines for less pleasant reasons.

Between 1989 and 1991, Morgan Stevens made headlines when he claimed that he was beaten by Los Angeles Police Officers after being taken into custody after being accused of driving under the influence. While in jail, Stevens alleged that police officers punched and kicked him after he refused to hand them a t-shirt. According to the Los Angeles Times, these attacks resulted in a series of injuries that included a broken nose, fractured cheek, dislocated jaw, and nerve damage to the right side of his face.

Later, Stevens managed to reach an undisclosed cash settlement with the Los Angeles Police Department. However, Stevens told the Los Angeles Times that the incident had severely impacted his acting career, which, at the time, had been incredibly successful. "Let's just say I'm glad this is behind me and I'm looking forward now to resuming my life and career," Stevens told the Los Angeles Times in 1991. Stevens also said that the incident "pretty much brought my career to a screeching halt," and that he had been unable to find work in the past few years. According to People, Stevens' last acting role was in 1999, when he appeared on an episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger."