Art LaFleur, the actor who was most famous for playing babe Ruth in The Sandlot, Died after a 10-year battle with a typical Parkinson’s, according to his wife Shelly. He was 78 years old.
Among his most memorable Sandlot The lines were, “Remember child, there are heroes and there are legends. Heroes are remembered, but legends never die!”
While LaFleur is most famous for The Sandlot, His face is recognizable from films such as Field of dreams, In which he played the Black Sox ringleader Chick Gondola and The Santa Clause 2 And 3, In which he played the tooth fairy; As well as innumerable roles in classic TV series such as M * A * S * H, Lou Grant, Soap, Webster, The A-Team, Hill Street Blues, Thirtysomething, Northern Exposure, Home Improvement, Malcolm in the Middle, Doogie Howser, Coach, Baywatch, ER, JAG, House and The mentalist.
Ironically, despite his list of credits, LaFleur did not start acting until he was in his 30s, when he moved to LA.
Shelly LaFleur posted the following reminder on social media:
The guy … after a 10 year battle with a typical Parkinson’s, Art LaFleur, the love of my life has passed. He brought laughter to so many people like Babe Ruth in the Sandlot, the Tooth Fairy in Santa Clauses 2 and 3, and Chick Gandil in Field of Dreams to name just a few. He was a generous and mothered man who carried over to his acting but more importantly it was who he was for his family and friends. Every place or place we visited him on, the cast and crew would introduce themselves and say Mali, Joe, and we as art talked about us with such pride and love. He was never happier than on the day the picture was taken, when Glenda Lapplor, whom he was happy to have as a daughter, joined our family. I was so lucky to have a 43 year relationship with a man who cherished me and who I loved. Art was greater than life and meant the world to us.
