Ron Palillo

Ron Palillo was an American actor known for Arnold Horshack — the eager, hand-waving student — on Welcome Back, Kotter (ABC, 1975–1979). He was gay and while he was never the subject of a formal public coming-out story, his identity was acknowledged in interviews later in his life. He died of a heart attack in 2012. Palillo was known for his warmth and generosity as a person, and his character Horshack remains one of the fondly remembered comic creations of 1970s American television.