The Office US actor Mark York has died from a brief and unexpected illness. He was 55-years-old.
The actor was at Ohio’s Miami Valley Hospital when he passed away following a “brief and unexpected illness” on 19 May, according to his obituary.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office confirmed his death, although the exact cause has not been disclosed.
York, whose lower body had been paralysed since 1988, did not allow his disability to prevent him from having “an outgoing, uplifting, positive attitude and personality.”
His obit read: “He always tried to look at what he could accomplish and do, not what he couldn’t do.
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“He had experienced many travel opportunities and many dreams for the future.”
York contributed to some of The Office’s best-loved early episodes where he played Billy Merchant, the owner of the building in which the fictional paper company Dunder Mifflin was located.
His most memorable episode was in season two, where boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell) injured his foot by stepping on a hot George Foreman Grill then invited Billy to speak to his employees about disability, comparing his mild foot injury to Billy’s paralysis.
The scene went down a treat with fans of the comedy show where Billy hit back at Michael’s absurd comparison.
York was raised in Ohio and attended Anderson University.
After doing some print modeling, he moved to California to pursue his dreams of film and television stardom, where he picked up a few roles on a string of television shows including 8 Simple Rules and CSI: NY.
As well as his TV work, the actor also had a role in Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence, one that goes uncredited.