'Friday the 13th' Actor Whitney Rydbeck Dies at 79

Whitney Rydbeck, an actor remembered for his appearance in "Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI," died July 15, THR reports.

Rydbeck, who was 79, had been in hospice care for cancer.

Tommy McLoughlin, Rydbeck's longtime friend who directed "Jason Lives," memorialized him on Instagram, writing, "We lost not only a truly funny comedian and actor…but one of the most good hearted human beings I’ve ever known. God Bless You and Rest in Peace..Whitney Rydbeck. Our Loss is Heavens’ Gain."

Rydbeck's part in the 1986 film was as nerd Roy, who wore goggles on top of his glasses while playing a paintball game that ends with his unfortunate demise.

With Tony Reitano, Rydbeck was part of the iconic series of ads that featured the duo as crash-test dummies Larry and Vince. The PSAs, promoting seatbeat use, closed with the tagline, "You could learn a lot from a dummy. Buckle your safety belt."

Elements from those commercials wound up in the Smithsonian.

Born March 13, 1945, Rydbeck studied acting in college and joined the Richard Shepard Mime Troupe.

He made his acting debut on TV's "Nanny and the Professor" (1970), but was hired for his miming proficiency to play a robot in Woody Allen's classic comedy "Sleeper" (1973).

Other TV work included "The Brady Bunch" (1971), "Lassie" (1972), "Far Out Space Nuts" (1975), "Wonderbug" (1976), "M*A*S*H" (1979), "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1989), and "Murder, She Wrote" (1989-1994). Other films in which he appeared: "Love at First Bite" (1979), "Rocky II" (1979), Steven Spielberg's "1941" (1979), "Oliver & Company" (voice; 1988), "A Very Brady Sequel" (1996), and "Angels with Angles" (2005), in which he played Hollywood legend Jack Benny.

A kids' TV series built around him, "Whitney and the Robot," aired in 1979.

He went on to teach drama at Pasadena City College.

Rydbeck is survived by his partner, Claire.