Lance Kerwin, James at 16 and Salem's Lot star, dies at 62

Lance Kerwin, the former child star best known for his roles on the coming-of-age TV series James at 16 and in the Stephen King adaptation Salem's Lot, died Tuesday at 62.

His daughter Savanah Kerwin announced his passing in a Facebook post and added, "We appreciate all the kind words, memories, and prayers that have been shared." A cause of death was not provided.

Kerwin began his acting career in the 1970s and starred in more than 50 TV shows and films. His role as James Hunter, a teenager adjusting to life in Boston after his father uproots the family from Oregon, in James at 16 (which premiered as James at 15) propelled him to heartthrob status. The drama aired between 1977 and 1978 on NBC.

He also had a memorable turn as Mark Petrie in Salem's Lot, the 1979 horror miniseries adapted from King's 1975 novel. Kerwin's other TV credits included Wonder Woman, Little House on the Prairie, The Family Holvak, Murder She Wrote, The New Lassie, and Insight, as well as the made-for-TV movies Children of Divorce, Advice to the Lovelorn, and The Boy Who Drank Too Much.

One of his later roles was as a mercenary in the 1995 film Outbreak, opposite Dustin Hoffman and Morgan Freeman. After some two decades away, Kerwin also returned to acting last year for a small role in the independent film The Wind & the Reckoning.

John Boitano of Iconic Management, who worked with Kerwin booking appearances at fan events and conventions, told EW that when the two spoke recently, Kerwin was looking forward to doing more acting. "He was an intelligent, smart guy and had been through a lot in his life," Boitano said. "He was a good guy."

Additional reporting by Oliver Gettell.

source: ew.com