Actor Art LaFleur, most notably known for his roles in The Sandlot and Field Of Dreams, passed away after a 10 year battle with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 78. LaFleur’s first acting credit came in 1978 in Rescue From Gilligan’s Island, a made-for-TV movie that continues the adventures of the castaway crew from the original sitcom. The Hollywood Knights gave LaFleur his first significant motion picture role in 1980. The late actor guest-starred in various television shows throughout the years, and his last major role came in 2006, taking on the duties of the Tooth Fairy in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.
LaFleur’s acting career saw him cast in his fair share of notable films, including the action-packed film Cobra in 1986 written by Sylvester Stallone, 1988’s classic horror flick The Blob, and the legendary 1989 baseball movie Field Of Dreams. However, LaFleur’s most notable role came in the form of a ghost, as he portrayed Babe Ruth in 1993’s classic film The Sandlot. In a movie full of iconic lines, LaFleur delivers audiences one of its most notable by stoically muttering to Benny: “Remember kid, there’s heroes and there’s legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die, follow your heart, kid, and you’ll never go wrong.”
Recently, LaFleur’s wife Shelley took to Facebook and shared the news of his passing after a 10 year battle with Parkinson’s Disease. LaFleur’s wife reminisced about how much laughter and joy the actor brought to fans of his work and how lucky she was to have spent her life with such a generous and selfless man. She also shared that the cast and crew on every set they visited LaFleur on spoke of how much he took pride in his family. See what Shelley LaFleur shared below:
This guy… After a 10 year battle with A-typical Parkinson’s, Art LaFleur, the love of my life passed away. He brought laughter to so many people as Babe Ruth in the Sandlot, The Tooth Fairy in The Santa Clause 2 and 3, and Chick Gandil in Field of Dreams to name just a few. He was a generous and selfless man which carried over to his acting but more importantly it was who he was for his family and friends. Every location or set we visited him on, the cast and crew would introduce themselves and tell Molly, Joe, and me how Art spoke of us with such pride and love. He was never happier than the day this picture was taken, when Glenda LaFleur, who he was overjoyed to have as a daughter, joined our family. I was so very lucky to have had a 43 year relationship with a man who cherished me and who I adored. Art was larger than life and meant the world to us.
LaFleur was born in 1943 in Gary, Indiana. In 1962, the actor-to-be played football under coach Charlie Bradshaw for the University of Kentucky. Ultimately, however, LaFleur cast football aside to pursue his passion for acting. He moved to Los Angeles in 1975 to realize that dream.
The passing of Art LaFleur marks a sad day in the film community. Additionally, it is a tragic day for the many fans of his work, and folks will likely spend some quality time watching his old films and enjoying the legacy of his career. Ultimately, however, it is probably the hardest on his family and close friends who, by all accounts, lost an irreplaceable physical presence in their lives. Nevertheless, as he conveyed to Benny all those years ago, “legends never die,” and Art LaFleur is and always will be a legend for many.
Source: Facebook
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