Overview
- His family representative and multiple outlets confirmed Thursday that Michael Gray died of natural causes on Oct. 16 in Palm Desert, California, at age 75.
- Gray rose to fame as Billy Batson on CBS’s Shazam! (1974–76), a live-action Saturday-morning show in which his character said “shazam” to become the superhero Captain Marvel.
- After years sidelined by typecasting, Gray rebuilt a public presence when a 2012 remaster brought the series back to fans and he began appearing at conventions.
- In recent work he voiced a character on FX’s Archer and made a cameo in the 2023 film Shazam! Fury of the Gods that nodded to the original series.
- He is survived by his wife, Stacy Benon Gray, stepchildren Ryan Cooper and Laurel Cooper, and son-in-law Lee Barker, and colleagues including co-star John Davey issued warm tributes to his kindness and love of fans.