'Sleepaway Camp' star Jonathan Tiersten passes away at 60

Jonathan Tiersten, who rose to fame with his portrayal of Ricky Thomas in 1983's Sleepaway Camp, has passed away at the age of 60.

His brother, William Tiersten, told TMZ that the American actor embraced death at his residence in New Jersey last week, but the news of his death was shared on May 5, 2026.

William went on to inform the outlet that Jonathan’s cause of death is being investigated.

For those unaware, Jonathan made his onscreen debut in 1981 with his appearance in an episode of NBC's Another World, which helped him land the role of Thomas in Robert Hiltzik's iconic slasher film, Sleepaway Cam.

After almost three decades, he returned to play the same role in the 2008 sequel Return to Sleepaway Camp.

While giving an interview in 2015, Jonathan opened up about the sequel by saying, “My role as Ricky this time is not as large, but I like to think it's still fairly juicy. It's nice to rekindle friendships.”

“I sort of got my feet wet again as far as being an actor. There's a lot of Ricky still in me. I've been called a brooder and emotionally dark … but, definitely, as I've gotten older I think I'm a more ‘look on the bright side' type of guy than when I was younger,” he noted.

It is pertinent to mention that Jonathan Tiersten’s other notable works include The Perfect House, Terror Tales, The Last American Horror Show Vol. 2, Lake of Shadows, Dracula's War, Sugar!, and others.