Ed Gale, who portrayed characters such as Chucky and Howard the Duck, has died.
He was 61 years old.
Gale died May 27, TMZ reported. A cause of death was not given.
His niece posted a tribute to her uncle, saying he has “taken his final bow and is now headlining in the afterlife.”
Gale was born with dwarfism in Plainwell, Michigan, in 1963, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 3 feet, 4 inches tall, USA Today reported.
Before appearing as the serial killing doll Chucky in 1988’s “Child’s Play” and two of its sequels, Gale was in the duck suit in “Howard the Duck” opposite Lea Thompson.
In addition to his big screen roles as not only an actor but also a stuntman, Gale also appeared on the small screen in shows such as “Land of the Lost,” “Baywatch” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.”
Variety said he was a familiar face at conventions after appearing in more than 130 movies, television shows and commercials.
Gale had been under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department for alleged sex solicitation of minors at the time of his death, TMZ reported.
He had been part of a sting operation by a San Diego-based child advocacy group in 2023, where he admitted to the organization’s founder that he solicited what he believed was a 14-year-old boy and had sexual conversations with other minors, Deadline reported.
The Los Angeles Times reported that when the founder of the “Creepy Catcher Unit,” otherwise known as CC Unit, met at Gale’s apartment, the person, who goes by Ghost, gave Gale printouts of conversations the actor allegedly had with the person online and that Gale admitted to the allegations.
© 2025 Cox Media Group