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Fred 'Rerun' Berry Dead at 52


10-23-03 Keavin
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Fred Berry, best known for his role as �Rerun� in the 70�s sitcom �What�s Happening!� passed away at the age of 52 on Tuesday. 

Berry died in his Los Angeles home of what appears to be natural causes, according to police. The exact cause of death will not be known until the coroner completes an investigation. However, Berry was said to be in poor health following a recent stroke. 

Berry�s rise to fame came in 1976 when he was cast as the goofball and dimwitted �Rerun� in the hit sitcom �What�s Happening!�, which centered on three young black teens in Los Angeles. 

Legend has it that the name �Rerun� was based on the character having to �rerun� his classes in the summer since he failed them during the school year. 

The show ran for 3 years but Berry reportedly took to a life of stardom and excess while the show was in full swing, often abusing cocaine and marijuana. Berry claimed to have run through over a million dollars on cars, drugs, homes and not to mention several failed marriages. 

He had a hard time finding work after the show was cancelled and took to appearing in shopping malls. He did get a second chance when the show was reprised in 1985 with �What�s Happening Now!� but he became embroiled in a contract dispute and quit the show after one season. 

Berry managed to pull his life back together in 1986 when he found religion. He ultimately gave up his drug lifestyle and began working as a minister in Alabama for a short time. 

He has made sporadic tv appearances over the years, the most recent were on MTV�s "Doggy Fizzle Televizzle" with Snoop Dogg, E!�s �Star Dates�, VH1�s retrospect on the 70�s and also a cameo in Dave Spade�s  "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star." .