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Hegyes had been transported to the JFK Medical Center in Edison, NJ that morning in full cardiac arrest and died, the Star-Ledger reports.
Hegyes got his big break on Kotter, a 1970s TV series about a teacher who returned to an inner-city New York school he went to as a child to teach students often referred to as "Sweathogs." The cast included John Travolta, who played Vinnie Barbarino.
Hegyes later appeared in other TV shows, including "Cagney & Lacey." He also had stints on "CHiPs," "Diagnosis Murder," "The Drew Carey Show" and "Lewis & Clark."
Born in 1951 in the town of Perth Amboy, Hegyes grew up the oldest child of a Hungarian father and Italian mother in Metuchen, NJ. He headed to New York City following graduation at Rowan University, where he would often return to teach master classes.
– The Hollywood Reporter
