Ben Powers from Good Times dies at 64.
(The Hollywood Reporter)Ben Powers, who played Thelma's (BernNadette
Stanis) husband Keith Anderson on the final season of the classic CBS
sitcom "Good Times," has died. He was 64.
Powers died April 6 in New Bedford, Mass., his family announced. No cause of death was revealed.
Powers joined the cast of "Good Times" for its sixth and final season
from 1978 to 1979 season, playing Keith, a professional football player.
His character and Thelma wed in the third episode of that season, but
he injures his leg while walking out of the church, straining their
relationship.
Powers also had a regular role as "Moochie" on the CBS detective drama show, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, from 1984 to 1985.
Powers had a small part in "Cheech & Chong's Next Movie" (1980). He
was back with the comedy pair in "Things Are Tough All Over" (1982). He
also appeared in "The Man Who Loved Women" (1983) starring Burt
Reynolds. He also guest-starred on shows such as "Gimme a Break,"
"Flamingo Road," "The Greatest American Hero" and "Laverne &
Shirley."
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Providence, R.I., by his
grandparents, Alton "Ben" Powers attended the Rhode Island School of
Design for painting and sketching before focusing on acting.
He
performed stand-up comedy routines in Providence, incorporating
impressions and songs into his act, where he was discovered by a
Hollywood agent. Gigs at the Playboy clubs in Los Angeles, New York and
Boston led to a job in 1977 on the revived version of "Laugh-In."
Survivors include his mother and his sisters Yvonne and Maya.
