Ron Dean – famous for starring in Risky Business and The Breakfast Club – has died at the age of 87, with his partner announcing the sad news of his death

Ron Dean has died at the age of 87. The actor – who starred in the likes of Risky Business and The Breakfast Club – peacefully died alongside his family and loved ones.

The actor’s partner Maggie Neff shared: “He passed at exactly 4pm, after his beloved sisters had said their goodbyes. He hung on like a warrior to say goodbye to his little sisters. Then we were alone, and in my arms, I held his hand, and he trusted me when I told him that it was alright to let go. What an honour!”

Ron was born in Chicago in 1938 and he became well known for his early portrayals of police officers and other military officials. In one of his key roles, he played a detective alongside Tom Cruise in Risky Business.

Ron starred in The Breakfast Club ( 
Image:
Universal)
He also had a key role in The Breakfast Club, where he played Mr Clark, the father of Andy Clark – which was portrayed by actor Emilio Estevez. The movie was a hit of the 1980s.

Ron also had roles in movies including Light of Day, The Fugitive, The Client as well as a part in Hollywood blockbuster The Dark Knight. He appeared in various TV shows including Frasier, Murder, She Wrote, ER, The West Wing and Cold Case.

Maggie described her and Ron as “kindred spirits”. She told People: “Ron and I were/are kindred spirits. Our connection was instantaneous and remained so for nearly four decades.

“The love between us was unconditional and permanent. We locked horns many times over the years, but there was never any question that we would be there for each other in our hour of need. And we always were.”

Ron appeared in movies and TV shows and also on the stage ( 
Image:
Warner Bros)
She added: “It’s hard to capture what an extraordinary human being Ron was. One glamorous woman friend of Ron’s once told me that she’d rather grab a hot dog with Ron Dean than have a fancy dinner with some rich bloke. I have always felt the same way.”

Director Andrew Davis, who worked with Dean on The Fugitive added in a statement to Deadline: “Ron Dean was my dear friend and a tremendous actor. He was the essence of what Chicago talent represented. Having a very troubled youth Ron turned his life around to have a wonderful career as a loving, decent human being and respected talent.”

Tributes have also flooded in from movie fans, with one writing: “He was a Chicago cop in every single movie that included Chicago cops for about 40 years.” Another added: “Very good in The Fugitive and The Dark Knight.”

A third shared: “RIP Ron Dean. You will be remembered for that role which only you could have done in The Breakfast Club.”