Michael Gray, best known for playing Billy Batson in the 1970s television series Shazam!, has died at 75. His publicist confirmed that the actor died of natural causes on October 16, 2026, in Palm Desert, California, according to Variety’s October 22, 2026 report.Gray became a teen idol through the CBS series, which ran for three seasons between 1974 and 1976. His character transformed into the superhero Captain Marvel by saying the word “Shazam!” Beyond the series, Gray appeared in The Brady Bunch and several other television shows.Reflecting on the lasting impact of the superhero programme in a 2012 interview with Fanboy Planet, Michael Gray recalled fans telling him,“You have no idea what you did for me as a child.”More about Michael Gray’s role in Shazam!According to Variety’s obituary, Michael Gray joined Shazam! in 1974, playing Billy Batson alongside John Davey and Les Tremayne. The CBS Saturday-morning series followed Batson, a teenager who could transform into Captain Marvel by saying the show’s title. It ran for three seasons, ending in 1976, and brought Gray widespread recognition among young viewers.Before landing the role, Gray appeared in NBC’s The Little People in 1972. His early television credits also included Room 222, The Flying Nun and Marcus Welby, M.D., according to Variety. In 1973, he played Jeff, the boyfriend of Marcia Brady, in The Brady Bunch. His film credits included Run, Simon, Run, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and Myra Breckinridge.The Hollywood Reporter also covered Michael Gray’s death in its October 22, 2026, obituary, highlighting his work on Shazam! and his career in television. Gray became a regular presence in teen magazines, including Tiger Beat, during the height of his popularity, Variety reported.Variety @VarietyLINKMichael Gray, star of the 1970s “Shazam!” television series, has died at 75.In 1974, he joined the cast of “Shazam!” as Billy Batson, starring alongside John Davey and Les Tremayne in the series, which ran for three seasons until 1976.In the years after the series ended, Gray felt he was being typecast and took a break from acting. Variety reported that he subsequently worked in children’s theatre education and men’s fashion, and operated a floral business with his wife.Michael Gray's return to Shazam! decades laterThe actor reconnected with audiences after Shazam! was remastered in 2012 for DVD distribution, according to Variety. He began attending fan conventions, where he met viewers who remembered the programme from childhood.Gray later returned to screen work, including appearances in the FX animated series Archer, where he voiced a fictionalised version of himself as one of the title character’s childhood idols. Variety also reported that he appeared in Surge of Power and the AMC series Comic Book Men.In 2023, Gray made a cameo in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The appearance connected him to the newer DC film franchise inspired by the character associated with his television career, Variety reported on October 23.Michael Gray was born in Chicago on September 2, 1951, and grew up in Miami Beach, Florida, before moving to Los Angeles to study acting at the Pasadena Playhouse. According to Variety, he is survived by his wife, Stacy Benon Gray, whom he married in 1994, his stepchildren Ryan Cooper and Laurel Cooper, and his son-in-law Lee Barker.Read More: How Clayface's DCU origin is drawing parallels to his Batman: The Animated Series counterpart