'ALF' actor Max Wright dead at 75

HERMOSA BEACH, (FOX11) - Veteran character actor Max Wright, best known for playing family patriarch Willie Tanner on the 1980s cult-hit sitcom "ALF,'' has died at the age of 75.

According to relatives Wright died at his home in Hermosa Beach following a battle with cancer. According to TMZ, Wright was diagnosed with Lymphoma in 1995.

A Detroit native, Wright's television career dated back to the mid-1970s. Over the years, he appeared on shows including "Hart to Hart,'' "WKRP in Cincinnati,'' "Taxi,'' "Buffalo Bill,'' "Benson,'' "Cheers,'' "Misfits of Science,'' "Who's the Boss?,'' "Murphy Brown,'' "Friends,'' "Norm'' and "The Drew Carey Show.''

But he was best known for his role on "ALF,'' about a family that played host to a puppet alien.

He received a Tony nomination for his stage work in 1998. His wife, Linda Ybarrondo, died in 2017 of breast cancer. The couple had two children.

CNS contributed to this report