EMBATTLED ACTOR Jeff Conaway, who portrayed Kenickie in the John Travolta-Olivia Newton John classic "Grease," died yesterday. Conaway had been hospitalized since he was discovered unconscious at his Encino, Calif., home on May 11. He was 60.
Born in New York City, Conaway made his Broadway debut at 10 in "All the Way Home." But his big break came with "Grease," first on Broadway (where he played lead Danny Zuko, the part played by Travolta in the film) and then in the film as bad-boy Kenickie.
Conaway's fame continued as the underemployed thespian Bobby Wheeler on "Taxi," but he left the sitcom after the fourth season because of creative differences. "He was a big, loose, flaky guy," James L. Brooks, executive producer of "Taxi," said in an oral history of the series. "I think nobody quite recognized how great he was in ['Taxi'] because he was a flaky guy at times."
Conaway had a long history of substance abuse - alcohol, cocaine and prescription drugs. "He's a gentle soul with a good heart ... but he's never been able to exorcise his demons," his manager, Phil Brock, told the Associated Press. Although he landed parts in "Babylon 5" and "The Bold and the Beautiful" in the '90s, more recently he was better known for his exploits on "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" and "Celebrity Fit Club." He was bounced from the "Fit Club" so he could enter a drug-rehab facility.
Travolta released a statement saying that Conaway was a "wonderful and decent man and we will miss him."
Tattbits
* Philly girl and "Ugly Betty" star Ana Ortiz
is expecting her second child with husband Noah Lebenzon.
She knows it's a boy but hasn't settled on a name. "It has to be Spanish, but something nonspeakers can pronounce without mauling," the six-months-pregnant Ortiz told Latina magazine. "Suggestions? I'm open." What about giving your dad some namesake love, Ana? Ortiz's pops is former City Councilman Angel Ortiz.
The actress just signed on
for a five-episode arc on HBO's gigolo comedy "Hung," as a woman with anger-management issues.
* At least one legal battle is
behind Lindsay Lohan. The tabloid target settled a lawsuit filed by the mother of LiLo's former assistant Tracie Ross. Lohan chased Ross down the Pacific Coast Highway in July 2007, traumatizing the girl and causing her to lose a job.
"Lindsay is very pleased to put this unfortunate event behind her," her attorney, Ed McPherson, said in a statement.
* "Mad Men" star (and Lady Tattle's big crush) Jon
