RIP Jerry Doyle

Jerry Doyle, best known for his role as security chief Michael Garibaldi on the sci-fi series Babylon 5, has died, his family announced Thursday. He was 60. The actor was found Wednesday in his Las Vegas home, and the cause of death was not immediately known.

Doyle appeared on 109 episodes of Babylon 5 from 1994-1998, and was wed to co-star Andrea Thompson from 1995-1997. In recent years, he ventured into talk radio, hosting the political talk program The Jerry Doyle Show. He also was the founder of the political site EpicTimes. Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski penned a tribute for his former star, joking that while they disagreed on politics (Jerry “was just to the right of Attila the Hun”), Straczynski donated to Doyle’s campaign when he ran for Congress in 2000.

Doyle grew up in Brooklyn, New York, raised as the eldest son of a police officer and a housewife. He spent the first six months of his life in an orphanage before being adopted. In 1978, Doyle earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, while also receiving his flight training. Previously a corporate jet pilot and after a decade as a stockbroker on Wall Street, Doyle made an abrupt career change into acting in 1991, when he moved to Los Angeles. His first television role was on the series Moonlighting where he played the on-screen brother of Bruce Willis’ character. This was followed by a recurring role as a lawyer on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Babylon 5 was his first significant starring role, starring as security officer Michael Garibaldi.

He began his own production company to move into production television and independent films, which he described as an “experiment”. Other work included a series on the aircraft of the Second World War entitled Keep ’em Flying, alongside producer John Copeland, who Doyle had previously worked with on Babylon 5. Doyle was a frequent guest on Newsmax Media TV, primarily on the program Midpoint with Ed Berliner. He had also been a featured guest on Fox & Friends.