Actor Kevyn Major Howard, best known and applauded for playing Rafterman in Stanley Kubrick’s critically acclaimed Full Metal Jacket, has died. He was 69.
The Canada-born actor’s family told TMZ he passed away in a Las Vegas hospital surrounded by loved ones.
The cause of death has not yet been determined, but the actor had been in hospital care for weeks with respiratory problems, the NY Post notes.
Howard had a long list of film credits under his name, appearing alongside some of the biggest stars in Hollywood including Clint Eastwood, Pierce Brosnan and Frank Sinatra.
He also appeared in one episode of Miami Vice in 1988, and his final film credit came when he appeared in the 1999 series Crusade as an officer.
Kevyn Major Howard attends The Hollywood Show held at Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport on April 16, 2022 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
Born on January 27 in 1956 in Montreal, Quebec, Howard moved to Los Angeles after college to pursue acting.
Later in life, Howard retired from acting and became a photographer. He was at one point referred to as the “King of the Hollywood headshot.”
Howard also founded a foundation called Fueled by the Fallen to honour military personnel and 9/11 casualties with memorial race cars and scholarships for the children of fallen heroes.
Kevyn is survived by wife, Tiffanie; his step-daughter, Kayla, his sister, Kim and his brother, Kelsey.
