Jay North dies, Dennis the Menace, Maya child actor was 73

Jay North, the beloved face behind TV’s original mischievous kid, Dennis the Menace, has died at the age of 73. 

The former child star, who spent his early years charming audiences with slingshots and troublemaking grins, passed away peacefully at home after battling cancer for several years.

His close friend, producer and writer Laurie Jacobson, shared the heartbreaking news in a Facebook post on April 6. 

“[North’s Dennis the Menace costar] Jeanne Russell just called us with terribly sad, but not unexpected news,” Jacobson wrote. 

“Our dear friend JAY NORTH has been fighting cancer for a number of years and this morning at noon EST, Jay passed peacefully at home.”

Jacobson paid tribute to North’s resilience and big-hearted nature, reflecting on his complicated path after his early fame. 

“As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after...but he did not let it define his life,” she added. “He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply.”

She also recalled how North never ended a call without saying, “I love you with all my heart.” 

Jacobson added, “And we loved him with all of ours. A life-long friend of Jon’s, a brother to Jeanne and a dear friend to me, we will miss him terribly. He is out of pain now. His suffering is over. At last he is at peace.”

North shot to fame in the late 1950s as the spirited Dennis Mitchell in the Dennis the Menace sitcom, a role that defined his early career from 1959 to 1963. 

He later made a successful leap to the big screen, starring in Zebra in the Kitchen and Maya, and even reprised his role in the television spin-off of the latter.

As his career evolved, North found a new groove behind the mic. 

He lent his voice to several animated classics, including Arabian Knights, Here Comes the Grump, The Pebbles and Bam-Bam Show, and The Flintstones Comedy Hour. 

Fans with a keen ear might still hear echoes of Dennis in those Saturday morning cartoons.

North made his final on-screen appearance in 2003’s Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, a fitting nod to his legacy in Hollywood’s child star hall of fame.

Jay North is survived by his wife, Cindy Hackney, and three stepdaughters. Though the curtain has fallen, the laughter and memories he sparked in a generation of fans will live on — slingshot and all.