{"id":215913,"date":"2026-01-10T20:53:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T20:53:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/10\/tk-carter-cause-of-death-the-thing-punky-brewster-star-was-69\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T20:53:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T20:53:40","slug":"tk-carter-cause-of-death-the-thing-punky-brewster-star-was-69","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/10\/tk-carter-cause-of-death-the-thing-punky-brewster-star-was-69\/","title":{"rendered":"TK Carter Cause of Death: &#8216;The Thing,&#8217; &#8216;Punky Brewster&#8217; Star Was 69"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>We have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/01\/sean-swayze-cause-of-death-patrick-swayzes-brother-was-63\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tragic news<\/a> to report out of Hollywood today.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas Kenty \u201cTK\u201d Carter \u2014 the beloved character actor best known for his work in films like <em>The Thing<\/em> and TV shows like <em>Punky Brewster<\/em> \u2014 has passed away.<\/p>\n<p>He was 69 years old.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><\/noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-52694539-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Actor T.K. Carter, of &quot;The L.A. Riots Spectacular&quot;, poses for a portrait during the Tribeca Film Festival at the Tribeca Grand Hotel April 25, 2005 in New York City. \" class=\"wp-image-544973 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-52694539-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-52694539-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-52694539-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-52694539-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-52694539-960x639.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-52694539-1080x719.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-52694539-1200x799.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-52694539-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor T.K. Carter, of \u201cThe L.A. Riots Spectacular\u201d, poses for a portrait during the Tribeca Film Festival at the Tribeca Grand Hotel April 25, 2005 in New York City. <span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo by Frank Micelotta\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>News of the actor\u2019s passing comes courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/01\/10\/tk-carter-dead-actor-the-thing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TMZ<\/a>, who reports that Carter was found dead on Friday in his Duarte, California home after calling 911.<\/p>\n<p>Carter\u2019s cause of death has not been disclosed, but foul play is not expected.<\/p>\n<p>Born in New York City in 1956, Carter was raised outside of Los Angeles, where he began performing standup comedy at the age of 12.<\/p>\n<p>He would go on to perform at such iconic venues as The Comedy Store.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"777\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-777x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Comedian T.K. Carter arrives to the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) All-Star Gala on February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. \" class=\"wp-image-544971\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-777x1024.jpg 777w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-228x300.jpg 228w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-768x1012.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-1554x2048.jpg 1554w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-729x960.jpg 729w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-820x1080.jpg 820w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-911x1200.jpg 911w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-scaled.jpg 1943w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"777\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-777x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Comedian T.K. Carter arrives to the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) All-Star Gala on February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. \" class=\"wp-image-544971 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-777x1024.jpg 777w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-228x300.jpg 228w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-768x1012.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-1554x2048.jpg 1554w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-729x960.jpg 729w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-820x1080.jpg 820w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-911x1200.jpg 911w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-scaled.jpg 1943w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-109306275-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Comedian T.K. Carter arrives to the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) All-Star Gala on February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. <span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Though he racked up dozens of rolls over the course of his decades-long career, Kent is likely best remembered for two beloved performances he delivered in thr \u201980s:<\/p>\n<p>Horror fans will likely recall his work as the rollerskating chef Nauls in John Carpenter\u2019s 1982 classic <em>The Thing<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>While fans of Gen X-era television may remember Carter\u2019s work as Mike Fulton in the first two seasons of <em>Punky Brewster<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Carter also played Mylo in <em>Good Morning, Miss Bliss<\/em>, the sitcom that was later retooled and retitled as <em>Saved By the Bell.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"T. K. Carter attends the premiere of Warner Bros Pictures' &quot; The Way Back&quot; at Regal LA Live on March 01, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.\" class=\"wp-image-544972\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-640x960.jpg 640w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-720x1080.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-800x1200.jpg 800w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"T. K. Carter attends the premiere of Warner Bros Pictures' &quot; The Way Back&quot; at Regal LA Live on March 01, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.\" class=\"wp-image-544972 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-640x960.jpg 640w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-720x1080.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-800x1200.jpg 800w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1209771125-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">T. K. Carter attends the premiere of Warner Bros Pictures\u2019 \u201d The Way Back\u201d at Regal LA Live on March 01, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo by Amy Sussman\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Carter made appearances on numerous classic TV shows over the years, including such beloved series as <em>Good Times<\/em>, <em>The Waltons<\/em>, <em>The Jeffersons<\/em>, <em>Just Our Luck, 227, Good Morning<\/em>, <em>Family Matters, The Sinbad Show, Moesha, The Steve Harvey Show, The Nanny<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Numerous friends, fans, and colleagues have paid tribute to Carter on social media, including fellow actor Shavar Ross.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a young kid, I looked up to TK because seeing an African American actor starring in a major film meant a lot to me. I always felt he was headed for stardom,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/shavar\/status\/2010030048842265073\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ross wrote<\/a> on X (formerly Twitter).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver the years, TK and I became good friends, and we hung out together sometimes. I want to send my heartfelt condolences to his family, his friends, and everyone who loved and admired his work. He will always be remembered and respected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Our thoughts go out to to TK Carter\u2019s loved ones during this difficult time.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/01\/tk-carter-cause-of-death-the-thing-punky-brewster-star-was-69\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 3 minutes We have tragic news to report out of Hollywood today. Thomas Kenty \u201cTK\u201d Carter \u2014 the beloved character actor best known for his work in films like The Thing and TV shows like Punky Brewster \u2014 has passed away. He was 69 years old. Actor T.K. Carter, of \u201cThe L.A. Riots [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":215914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-215913","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}