‘Welcome Back Kotter’ Star Robert Hegyes Dies

‘Welcome Back Kotter’ Star Robert Hegyes Dies

‘Welcome Back Kotter’ Star Robert Hegyes Dies, “Welcome Back Kotter” star Robert Hegyes dies; “Let’s Stay Together” sales boosted by Obama. “Welcome Back Kotter” Star Dies: Robert Hegyes, known for his role as Juan Epstein on “Welcome Back Kotter,” has passed away at the age of 60. 

According to Reuters, Hegyes was in cardiac arrest when paramedics took the sitcom star to the hospital. The actor would later die at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey. On “Welcome Back Kotter,” Hegyes played “Juan Luis Pedro Felipo de Huevos Epstein,” a Jewish Puerto Rican student in a remedial class of kids known colloquially as the “Sweathogs.” 

His catchphrase was “Hey, Mr. Kotter, I got a note!” and he would often mouth the words of the note as his teacher read it aloud, suggesting that Epstein had actually penned the excuse himself. “Kotter’s'” comedy was gentle, but the show is fondly remembered because it focused on the outcasts at school, and not on the students at the top of the food chain. 

The program also featured friendships that crossed ethnic boundaries. The cast, including series star John Travolta, reunited on the TV Land Awards and on “Good Morning America” in 2011. “My reality far exceeded my dreams when this thing came along, it just did,” Hegyes said then. (You can leave your thoughts about “Welcome Back Kotter” and Hegyes in the comments.)

“Let’s Stay Together” Sales Boosted By Obama: President Barack Obama’s decision to sing a line of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” has managed to help the economy. Since crooning a part of the tune at the Apollo Theatre, sales of the the classic Al Green number have increased by 490%, according to the Hollywood Reporter. 

As a result of the demand, the single had its best week since Nielsen began tracking downloads back in 2003. The presidential performance helped the song sell more than 16,000 downloads in the week ending Jan. 22, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The video of President Obama has been a social media hit garnering millions of views.

via: wsj