Gene Anthony Ray, Family, Death, Obituary, and Net Worth

“A life without desire is a slow way to freeze to death.” This quote contains some words and defines how one’s devotion leads a person to fulfill his dreams rather than living an aimless life.

In the same way, today’s famous person, Gene Anthony Ray, died at the age of 41 but has fulfilled all his dreams and successfully established himself as an American actor, dancer, and choreographer.

He bunks his school classes for dancing auditions without thinking about his family.

Undoubtedly, Gene grabbed massive media attention by portraying dancer Leroy Johnson in both the 1980 film Fame and the 1982–1987 Fame television series based upon the film.

Without wasting any time, let’s dig into the life of the legendary star and know the reason behind his death. Till then, please stay connected with us.

Early Life Of Gene Anthony Ray

The legendary actor Gene Anthony Ray took birth on 24 May 1962 in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City and grew up in the area of West 153rd Street.

Most of the residents believed in youths’ progress during the presidentship of John F. Kennedy in 1962.

Happily, he got a chance to gather more opportunities to establish his career. Growing up in Harlem, New York, Gene quickly found his aim and started performing early life in street dancing showing his dance forms at the block parties.

The star also took a dance class at the Julia Richman High School.

Moreover, his neighbors and friends admired his talent; however, his parents were getting tired of his complaints about bunking classes for auditions. Once, he had skipped his school for his audition with Louis Falco, a Fame choreographer.

Additionally, Anthony was a student of the New York High School of the Performing Arts, from where he got kicked out after a year of attending it. For this, his mother, Jean E. Ray, stated:

Though Ray was out of his school, his journey had just begun.

Gene Anthony Ray, Rise To Stardom

After stumbling for a long, Gene had made him grab the role of Leroy Johnson in the 1980 movie, Fame starring along with Tony Rader and Carlo Imperato.

Alan Parker directed the teenage musical drama film.

Then, Ray played the character of Friday alongside Michael York, who was performing the role of Robinson Crusoe. And, the drama was based on the 1719’s novel of Daniel Defoe.

Ray collected massive attention after starring on the T.V. series version of the 1980 film Fame in search of a second chance. The series ran for five years and was titled MGM Television’s Fame (1982-87).

Gene Anthony Ray, Downfall of Career

From an investigation, we know that Anthony had toured the U.K. to perform as the cast of The Kids from “Fame” with additional ten cast members of the show.

Unfortunately, he was kicked out of the show after his mother got jailed for running a drug ring after his tour. At the same time, Gene himself struggled with addictions to alcohol and drugs.

After starring in some failed shows, he emerged in Dr. Pepper and Diet Coke commercials around 1995. Nevertheless, his reminding last work was an hour of a reunion documentary, Fame Remember My Name, taped in L.A. in April 2003.

Gene’s Life: Full of Controversies

The late-American choreographer Ray faced a lot of controversies throughout his life; he used to confess his weakness for drink and drugs.

During his career declination, Gene tried to launch a Fame-style dance class in Milan; but, he could not fulfill his attempt.

Following the time, he shared his flat with an adult actress and was later HIV positive. Moreover, the star was not married, while on the other hand, he was not in the position of confessing his sexuality.

 Skimming at this, an Italian artist, Marco Papa, steered research between success and failure involving Ray in an art project called Dancing on the Verge.

Subsequently, the project was formed in a book that included the drawings, sculptures, installations, videos, and performances of Gene until his death.

Death Rumors Pivoted To Be True

After Gene’s mom, Jean, announced her son to be HIV positive, the rumors began circulating about his death in 1995. Regardless, it is not yet confirmed that his death resulted from HIV. 

After eight years of facing death rumors, Anthony finally passed away on 14 November 2003. At that time, he was only 41 years old. Are you curious to know the reasons behind his death than continue reading the entire article?

Well!! The cause behind his death was announced to be a stroke in June of the same year. Though any mainstream media did not air the news of his death, his death news gained 11 million regular viewers in the U.K. We wished May his soul rest in peace in heaven.

Gene Anthony Ray, Net Worth At The Time Of His Death

There is no denying this talented Broadway actor had collected a massive amount of money from her successful career.

Ray brought in $3 million and $5 million net worth, which he collected from his Yeezy sneakers.

While he had exaggerated over the years about the size of his business, the money he pulled in from his profession was real–enough to rank as one of the biggest celebrity cashouts of all time.

Moreover, the entertainer earned such a big fortune from his hard works and dedication over the years in the entertainment industry.

He made $1000 to $2000 per week from his performance in theatre plays. In the same way, he earned around $35000 to $50000 per episode for his guest appearance in the tv series.

Additionally, he has acted in several films, from the movies, he might receive a handsome salary.

Though his exact salary is not mentioned, he has an annual salary of around $1million per year. Evaluating all his income, he might have a whopping net worth of $5 to $10 million.