Actor and activist Michael Kearns, known for his roles in Cheers and Beverly Hills, 90210, has died at age 76. The actor was an advocate for people living with HIV and AIDS and broke barriers by announcing his HIV status in 1991MIcahel Kearns died on October 5, according to reports. Filmmaker and longtime friend Roland Palencia confirmed his death, saying that the actor had been “in and out of emergency rooms over five times within a three-month period,” per Entertainment Weekly.Palencia didn’t specify more about his friend’s health problems. He added that Michael Kearns was “a friend, mentor, neighbor, and my movie buddy.”A cause of death has not yet been announced. However, what we do know is that Michael Kearns shared he was HIV-positive and revealed his diagnosis on television in 1991.

The actor was a pioneer who helped change Hollywood, fighting for people living with HIV and AIDS at a time when the stigma surrounding the disease was massive.Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1950, Kearns discovered his love of acting as a child. He later studied drama in Chicago before beginning his professional career.Kearns made his first television appearance in The Waltons in 1974 and went on to appear in several popular shows, including Cheers, Knots Landing, Murder, She Wrote, and Beverly Hills, 90210.Kearns was among the early openly gay actors in Hollywood, at a time when many performers feared that being open about their sexuality could damage their careers. In 1991, he publicly revealed that he was HIV-positive, wanting to challenge the shame and discrimination surrounding the disease.