Mark York, the actor best known for his role as Billy Merchant in The Office, died on May 19 at the age of 55.
He died early in the morning on May 19 at the Miami Valley Hospital, Ohio, after a brief and unexpected illness.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office confirmed his death, but the exact cause of death has not been disclosed, according to NBC News.
York, who also had key roles in CSI: NY, 8 Simple Rules, and A.I. Artificial Intelligence, was a paraplegic since 1988. He did not allow his disability to stop him from having “an outgoing, uplifting, positive attitude and personality,” according to his obit.
“He always tried to look at what he could accomplish and do, not what he couldn’t do,” the obit added. “He had experienced many travel opportunities and many dreams for the future.”
York had been a paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair due to an automobile accident in 1988. He had been driving 60 miles per hour, and his car hit a ditch, flipped, and landed in a cornfield.
At the time, he said of the accident, “I reached in my back seat for my gym bag and, with my left hand, inadvertently pulled up on the steering wheel too much.”
York was an avid sports fan supporting the Cincinnati Reds, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Kentucky Wildcats.
Born on November 27, 1965, York was raised in Ohio and graduated from Arcanum High School. After graduating with three majors from Anderson University, he was encouraged to move to California to pursue a career in acting.
York first played Billy Merchant in the twelfth episode of the second season entitled “The Injury,” and later reprised the role in that season’s finale episode “Casino Night.” In his first appearance, Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) introduces Merchant to the office for a disability-awareness meeting.
He served as the Southern California representative for Spinal Cord Injury Research Advancement to help find a cure for spinal cord injuries with non-embryonic stem cells. York is survived by his mother, father, and three brothers.
