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Kirk Baily has died after a short battle with lung cancer. The Salute Your Shorts actor was 59.
Baily’s family reportedly confirmed to TMZ that the Nickelodeon sitcom star, known for playing Kevin “Ug” Lee in the early ‘90s show, was diagnosed with lung cancer only about six months prior to his death.
Baily just celebrated his 59th birthday on February 2. He was born in New York City in 1963, and is well-known for his recent roles in Bumblebee, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and The Tomorrow Wars, among others, in addition to Salute Your Shorts. The comedy series, created by Steve Slavkin, follows “a group of kids at a summer camp, run by the heard-but-never-seen Dr. Kahn, form friendships as they spend time harassing buffoonish camp counselor Kevin ‘Ug’ Lee,” its synopsis reads. Trevor Eyster (Sponge Harris), Danny Cooksey (Bobby Budnick) and Michael Bower (Eddie “Donkeylips” Gelfen) starred in the show alongside Baily.
TMZ notes that Baily studied comedy at Groundlings and Second City early in his career, which launched with his work as a sound coordinator on Killer Klowns from Outer Space before landing onscreen roles. The entertainment news hub also notes that the Salute Your Shorts cast reunited at the Good Burger pop-up shop in Hollywood in 2019.