"Timmy" of "Passions" Dies

[Dionysus]

"Passions" Star Josh Ryan
Evans Dies
by Marcus Errico
Aug 6, 2002, 11:35 AM PT

Josh Ryan Evans, whose "Martimmy"-swilling
living-doll character Timmy swiped many a
scene in NBC's daytime soap Passions, has died.

Plagued by health problems throughout his 20 years, the
3-foot-2-inch actor had been admitted to a San Diego hospital for
treatment of a congenital heart condition. Doctors were weighing
whether to perform heart surgery on the actor when he died Monday
night, an NBC spokesperson confirmed.

Aside from his heart trouble, Evans suffered from achondroplasia, a
genetic condition that restricts cartilage growth and physical
development and was responsible for his diminished stature.

But Evans parlayed his tiny size into Tinseltown fame. "I love my
life," he told E! Online two years ago. "Acting is not only what I do,
it's what I am. I can't imagine spending my life doing anything else."

He'll be best remembered as Timmy on Passions. Evans joined the
soap in 1999, playing the creation of resident witch Tabitha. As dolls
go, Timmy was sort of an anti-Chucky, acting as Tabitha's conscience
and spending most of his time pining for Charity and downing
Martimmys--a nonalcoholic martini-like concoction. (Evans included a
Martimmy recipe on his Website, joshryanevans.org.)

"We are deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic loss of Josh Ryan
Evans," reads a statement from NBC. "He was a truly unique talent
with a remarkable spirit. He will be sorely missed by his Passions
family and by all of us at NBC."

Timmy was arguably Passion's most popular character, and Evans
earned a Soap Opera Digest Award as Favorite Scene Stealer and a
Daytime Emmy nomination for the part.

Ironically, Evans' death came on the same day his ailing character
Timmy bid adieu to his Passions pals.

NBC says Evans had taped the show weeks ago and was scheduled
to have a temporary hiatus while doctors decided whether the actor
needed heart surgery. However, this being a soap opera--and even
loopier than most other daytime dramas--Timmy was supposed to be
resurrected when Evans was ready to return to the series, likely at
the end of the summer.

Those plans have been scrapped, say the Passions publicist, and the
show will leave the Timmy story line as it ended yesterday, with the
character dying. Producers are recutting future episodes to remove
scenes involving Timmy.

Born January 10, 1982, in Hayward, California, Evans launched his
show-biz career in commercials, playing a dancing baby in an
ice-cream spot. He subsequently scored guest gigs on TV shows like
Family Matters, 7th Heaven and Poltergeist: The Legacy.

His first notable part, however, was as child-prodigy lawyer Oren
Koolie on Fox's Ally McBeal. He also appeared as the young Grinch in
Ron Howard's big-screen Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas,
played Tom Thumb in the A&E miniseries P.T. Barnum, did the
dancing for the baby in the 1999 film Baby Geniuses and contributed
voices to Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold! and Rugrats.

Evans is survived by his parents, Cheryl and Chuck Evans, and his
older brother, James. A memorial service is being planned for later
this week.