The popular sitcom, starring an extraterrestrial, ran from 1986 to 1990 but would live on in people’s memories as a quintessential piece of 1980s popular culture.

Benji Gregory, who played in the popular television series “ALF” from 1986 to 1990 as a child, has away. 46 was his age. His sister, Rebecca Pfaffinger, verified his death in an interview, stating that on June 13 at a bank parking lot in Peoria, Arizona, Mr. Gregory and his service dog were discovered dead in his car.

The family chose not to make the announcement right away so they could take some time to grieve. She said on Facebook that he passed away from heatstroke after dozing off in the car.

Mr. Gregory gained notoriety primarily for his portrayal of Brian Tanner in the NBC sitcom “ALF,” which follows a suburban family who takes in a snout-nosed, Chewbacca-like “alien life form” (thus the term) with the mentality of a PG-rated insult comic. Brian is ALF’s closest buddy and younger brother.

Although the show officially ended in 1990, it would live on in people’s memories as a quintessential piece of 1980s popular culture.

In an attempt to revitalise its brand, RadioShack produced a Super Bowl commercial in 2014. The commercial featured an employee saying, “The ’80s called; they want their store back,” and then he or she watched helplessly as Cliff from “Cheers,” Chucky, Hulk Hogan, and ALF ransacked the shelves.

The same year, in a Delta in-flight safety video with an 80s theme, a passenger wearing sunglasses puts on an oxygen mask for himself before wrapping one around ALF’s muzzle.

Most people did not view “ALF” as prestige television. A cast member of the short-lived ABC sitcom “The Neighbours,” which had an alien theme, Lenny Venito complained to The New York Times in 2013 that his show “got compared a lot to ‘ALF,’” meaning that viewers felt like the show was trying to make a lot of money by relying on a gimmick. “ALF” was categorised as a “weird family TV show” earlier this year by The Times.