AaronUniversal said:

confirmation...

http://story.news.yahoo.c...it_berry_2

Actor Fred 'Rerun' Berry Dies at Age 52
40 minutes ago

By ANTHONY BREZNICAN, AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES - Fred Berry, the bulb-shaped, squeaky-voiced actor famous for playing red-beret-wearing Rerun on the 1970s TV sitcom "What's Happening!", has died at age 52, police said Wednesday.



Berry died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles apparently of natural causes, police Officer Jason Lee (news) said. The county coroner was investigating, but friends said Berry had been ill because of a recent stroke.


He wore his red beret and suspenders in real life, and it was unclear whether he originally brought his own style to the character of Rerun or whether he was forever mimicking the goofball character that made him famous.


"What's Happening!", which ran from 1976-1979, focused on three teenage friends — Rerun, Raj and Dwayne — who learn about life, women and trouble while growing up in Los Angeles.


The name Rerun, according to Berry, referred to the character's brainlessness: In the summer, he had to rerun all the classes he failed during the school year.


Among the more famous episodes was one in which Rerun joined a bizarre cult and another in which he was busted for making bootlegged tapes of a Doobie Brothers concert.


Berry's success on the show was clouded by his heavy use of marijuana and cocaine. "There were dealers right there in the studio, people that worked there," he said in 1996.


By the time "What's Happening!" ended, Berry said he had blown more than a million dollars on drugs, cars, homes and an airplane. With no acting jobs heading his way, Berry tried to live off his fame by charging for appearances at shopping malls.


Lately, he had earned money by calling fans on the telephone, taking part in the service www.HollywoodIsCalling.com. About $30 would earn a fan a 30-second call.


Rerun brought Berry another brief moment of success in 1985, when "What's Happening!" was revived as the syndicated "What's Happening Now!" Berry quit in a contract dispute after the first season, and the show ended in 1987.


By 1986, Berry says, he abandoned drugs and started speaking to churches, schools and other groups, finally working as a minister in Madison, Ala.


He continued to dabble in show business. Berry recently appeared on the TV shows "Star Dates" on the E! Entertainment Network, MTV's "Doggy Fizzle Televizzle" with Snoop Dogg and in a cameo role in the David Spade (news) comedy film "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star."


Berry married a dancer while in his 20s, and the two divorced, remarried and divorced again. Berry also married and divorced his second wife twice, most recently in 1991. He also married and divorced two other women.

dayyyum

Daaag, Raj. Say it ain't so.

He didn't look any too healthy in those VH1 specials, but he did look like he was having fun up to the very end. A sad loss, but a happy life.

I'm going to pop lock in his memory.

didn't care much for the show, but he seemed like a pretty cool guy.

I loved Rerun... RIP big guy...

hay hay hay

that's sad sad sad

oh no...first elliot and now this?

*sos runs for another glass of wine..

sinisterpentatonic said:

:trying not to laugh:

I always wondered why they called dude "Raj"; wasn't his name Roger?

Just recently,I bought the first season of "What's Happening" on DVD.It's one of my all-time favorite shows.Rerun was hilarious,and that brotha could dance too!

sinisterpentatonic said:

someone ought too!!!

My memory goes back to his days on Soul Train. I watched What's Happening all the time. The Doobie Brothers episode stands out because Rerun was tapping their show illegally. When he started dancing the tape recorder fell out and homey was SO busted.

R.I.P. Fred Berry.

Rerun had a HILARIOUS cameo appearance in the Insane Clown Posse movie "Big Money Hustlas." He played a character called 'Bootleg Greg,' who sold illegal CDs and ripoff merchandise, such as a "Master Pee" hat and an 'AdidASS' shirt.

I used to love "What's Happening?" so much...

VinaBlue said:

:had to try not to laugh too:

R.I.P.

I was hoping for a What's Happening reunion too.

NuPwrSoul said:

It was just a shortened up version of Roger. Like some of my friends call me "Shell", short for Michelle.

sinisterpentatonic said:

We can laugh *and* dance. I think Fred woulda wanted it that way!

hey hey hey

:F: