Whitney Rydbeck, best known for his memorable performance in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, died Monday from complications of prostate cancer.
Rydbeck, who had a successful career as a television and film actor, appearing in more than fifty shows and films, breathed his last while in a hospice in Chatsworth, California.
His longtime friend Tommy McLoughlin confirmed his passing at the age of 79. The Hollywood Reporter.
On Saturday morning, McLoughlin paid a heartfelt tribute to Rydbeck on Instagram.
“We have lost not only a truly funny comedian and actor, but also one of the most kind-hearted people I have ever known,” the 74-year-old film director wrote.
Whitney Rydbeck, best known for his memorable performance in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, died Monday from complications of prostate cancer
Fans took to the comments to express their condolences to Rydbeck and share their favorite memories of him on film.
“He brought so much to Jason Lives, his comedy act, his panic, his naivety, his lack of paintball skills. Yet a generation with only a few minutes of airtime remembers this man when he went paintballing. A sad loss indeed. 
,” one person wrote.
Another commented: ‘Oh man, that’s really sad news. He was amazing and Jason Lives is so memorable and funny.’
“So sorry for your loss. His mark on the F13 is one of the most memorable,” added a third.
A handful of his followers raved about how Rydbeck “did so much with such a small role” in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives and how he would be “missed.”
Others called the late star an “eternal legend” and a “scene stealer!”
Rybeck was born on March 13, 1945 in Los Angeles and graduated from Pasadena High School. He then went to Pasadena City College and later to Cal State Fullerton to study theater.
He made his small screen debut with a small role in Nanny and the Professor in 1970.
Throughout his long career, Rydbeck made small but notable one-episode appearances on series such as The Brady Bunch, M*A*S*H, Big John and Switch.
In Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, the actor, who played a character named Roy, shot Jason Voorhees with a paintball gun before being killed by the fictional villain known for wearing a hockey mask.
Rydbeck, who had a prolific career as a television and film actor, appearing in more than fifty shows and films, ultimately breathed his last while in a hospice in Chatsworth, California.
His close friend Tommy McLoughlin confirmed his passing at the age of 79 to The Hollywood Reporter and on Instagram
His other credits include 1941, Rocky II, Oliver and Company and Woody Allen’s film, Sleeper, in which he played a silent robot. The actor’s last big screen appearance was in Angels with Angles.
Those who grew up in the ’80s may remember him as part of the duo Larry and Vince, crash test dummies from the comedy PSA who promoted the use of seat belts.
The advertisements came from the safety campaign ‘You can learn a lot from a dummy’.
In 2010, Rydbeck said The Washington Post He practiced what he preached, fearing a headline that might read: Actor who played Crash Dummy died because he didn’t wear his seatbelt. I always buckle up, I can tell you that,’ he told the publication.
