Tommy Kirk

Thomas Lee "Tommy" Kirk (December 10, 1941 – September 28, 2021) was an American actor and businessman. He was best known for his work with the Disney Studios.
Career.
Kirk's Disney career began in 1956 when he played Joe Hardy in "The Mickey Mouse Club" serial "The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure". The Disney movies "Old Yeller" (1957), "The Shaggy Dog" (1959), and "Swiss Family Robinson" (1960) made him a popular teen star. 
The Disney Studios dropped Kirk's contract when a woman complained to the Studio about the young actor's relationship with her 15 year old son. He went to American International Pictures. He appeared in their low-budget teen movies such as "Pajama Party" and "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini". 
Kirk was arrested for drug possession on Christmas Eve 1964. In 1970, he retired from movies and sought help for his dependency issues. He ran his own carpet and upholstery cleaning business. He wrote, and sometimes acted. Kirk became a Disney Legend on October 9, 2006.
Personal life.
Kirk is openly gay. He was interviewed by the "National Enquirer" of January 2013 and said: "I don't blame anybody but myself and my drug abuse for my career going haywire. I'm not ashamed of being gay, never have been, and never will be. For that I make no apologies. I have no animosity toward anybody because the truth is, I wrecked my own career."
Kirk was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He died at his Las Vegas, Nevada home on September 28, 2021 at the age of 79.