'L.A. Law' actor, Emmy winner Larry Drake dead at 66

Larry Drake, best known for his role on Steven Bochco's NBC legal procedural L.A. Law and the Darkman movie series, has died, his agent and manager confirmed to Mashable. He was 66.

Drake's cause of death is not yet known, but the actor was reportedly dealing with health issues prior to his passing, according to TMZ, who first reported the news on Thursday.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Drake's career spanned several decades, but he was arguably best known for his role of Benny, a messenger with an intellectual disability, on L.A. Law. He also appeared in the movie.

The role won Drake two Emmys and heaps of praise for his moving portrayal of the character. 

In the movie world, he was well known for playing antagonist Robert G. Durant in Sam Raimi's Darkman series and the title role in the 1992 horror movie Dr. Giggles.

His agent Michael Eisenstadt described Drake as "such a nice man and a great and versatile actor." 

Much of Drake's most recent projects were in voice work. He was also very active teaching drama at Stephen Book Studio, his manager of 30 years Steven Siebert told Mashable. 

"He was a sweet soul and generous man. Highly Intellectual and interested in everything," Siebert added. "His New Years hope for 2016 was that Calif. would finally get some RAIN and we would be done with the drought! Larry was very concerned for the environment. He had a great sense of humor and was a force of nature." 

This post was updated 3/18 at 12:35 a.m. ET to include a statement from Drake's manager.

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