ALF star Mihaly 'Michu' Meszaros dies at 76

Mihaly "Michu" Meszaros, the man who played ALF in the 1980s sitcom, died Sunday. He was 76.

Born in Hungary in 1939, Meszaros was 33 inches tall, and was a former circus star who also appeared in Big Top Pee Wee. A puppet was usually used to portray ALF, but Meszaros put on the ALF costume during the rare scenes where he was seen walking. He was also good friends with Michael Jackson, and regularly visited Neverland Ranch.

His manager, Dennis Varga, told ABC News Meszaros had a stroke on June 2, and slipped into a coma. He was also suffering from pneumonia.

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