Jeffrey Charles William Michael Conaway (October 5, 1950 – May 27, 2011), known by his stage name Jeff Conaway, was an American actor, best known for his roles in the movie Grease and the US television series "Taxi" and "Babylon 5." He also directed the 1992 film Bikini Summer II.
Conaway was born Oct. 5, 1950, in New York and began acting as a child; his first Broadway credit was 1960's All the Way Home. He later was an understudy in the long-running original Main Stem production of Grease and eventually took over the lead role of Danny Zuko. He also toplined the ill-fated 1985 Broadway musical The News, which ran for only four performances.
Conaway married Olivia Newton-John's sister Rona in 1980. They divorced in 1985. Conway's second marriage was to Kerri Young.
Conaway's name most often surfaced in connection with his drug and alcohol problems. U.K. newspaper the Mirror reported that he pulled a knife on Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis backstage at a Marilyn Manson concert in Los Angeles in May 2008.
While attempting to clean up after that incident and his Dr. Drew appearance, the troubled actor fell down a staircase in January 2010 and suffered a fractured neck and a brain hemorrhage, as well as a broken hip and arm. He was released from a nursing facility in April 2010 and was said at the time to be weaning off painkillers, an addiction stemming from an earlier back surgery.
Conaway's manager Phil Brock said the actor was found unconscious May 11 after an apparent overdose of painkillers. Reports said he might have been in that state for 10 hours before being found. Brock said the actor was suffering from pneumonia and already was sick at the time of the overdose.
He is survived by his son, Emerson, a professional racecar driver.
Sources: Wiki, E!, Hollywood Reporter
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