Tragic Details About The King Of Queens Cast

Alongside successful NBC sitcoms such as "Seinfeld" and "Friends," CBS was also a prominent network that had its fair share of long-running shows like "The Nanny" and "Cybill." Within the latter half of the '90s, however, Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt created "The King of Queens," which became a CBS classic that lasted eight years. Among the cast of "The King of Queens" were a young Kevin James and Leah Remini, both of which became household names by portraying a run-of-the-mill working-class couple in Queens, New York, and their everyday tribulations with family and friends.

This, alongside a shared fictional universe with the cast of "Everybody Loves Raymond," launched not only James and Remini into mainstream success, but also their secondary characters. Despite this, the cast wasn't remiss of its fair share of dilemmas both during and after its stint on the successful sitcom. Whether it be coming to terms with the deaths of notable names, finding solace in moving away from a life they've once known, or challenging career hardships, each of "The King of Queens" castmates has faced tragedy one way or another — which, ironically, made them more relatable than they already were.

Kevin James hit a notable career high when he snagged the role as Doug Heffernan in "The King of Queens." To the public, James' transition from a stand-up comedian to actor appeared seamless. Given his more notable acting roles in classics such as "Hitch" and "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," it's easy to assume that this was a path he always wanted to follow. This wasn't the case, however, as James was predominantly focused on sports growing up. His trajectory saw him succeed on the Ward Melville High School wrestling team, and later, he attended the State University of New York at Cortland in pursuit of a professional football career.

The sad reality was that a severe back injury ultimately halted his progress into professional sports. This turned out great for James, as it jump-started his career in the entertainment industry. With his days as an athlete behind him, the only thing that remained were his back issues, which are very common in James' life. He opened up about this in 2012 during an interview with ESPN, while he was in a wheelchair after tweaking his back. "Once a year, my back will go out, and it'll be ... it's like a sciatic thing, and it's the smallest thing," he said. "Like I could be leaning over the sink to brush my teeth in a weird way, and it happens."

Before portraying Carrie Heffernan in "The King of Queens," Leah Remini achieved relative success in a variety of projects dating back to 1988. While acting was a significant part of her younger years, the Church of Scientology became just as important when she joined in 1979. On paper, the religion claims to focus on the understanding of man's true spiritual nature. However, it has not built a positive reputation with the public over the years. It also became heavily celebrity-centric, with notable names such as Tom Cruise and Laura Prepon having a lengthy history with Scientology altogether. Remini has been one of the biggest voices opposing the religion since leaving in 2013.

Remini chronicled her tragic life story in the 2015 memoir, "Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology," which outlined the fair share of abuse she faced within Scientology, ranging from psychological torture to overall harassment. In her 2019 interview with Documentary magazine, she claims the religion raised its members with a "cult mentality," where if anyone ever spoke out about the church's malpractices, they'd be shunned. After leaving Scientology, Remini experienced isolation as she was cut off from all the friends she made and even received numerous death threats for her endless crusade against the religion. "I'm proud that people continue to speak out, and I'm proud that people now know what Scientology truly is, how it affects people, and how it's attempting to destroy people's lives," she stated.

From playing the offbeat Holly Shumpert on "The King of Queens," Nicole Sullivan sustained a lengthy career in comedy, snagging voice acting gigs in animations like "Kim Possible" to upholding supporting roles in shows like "Black-ish." Her personal life was also thriving, as she married Jason Packham in 2006 and became a mother to sons Dashel Pierce and Beckett Edward.

Although Sullivan embraced motherhood, she struggled mentally after giving birth to her firstborn, Dashel. According to her 2013 interview with Us Magazine, Sullivan had a negative perception of her body postpartum, as she felt like she was behind the other celebrities who had been able to shed baby weight shortly after giving birth. "I felt broken. I felt like an outsider in my own community," she stated. "There just are not a lot of overweight people in Hollywood. I felt like the jerk who couldn't figure it out." It was a process that took some trials and tribulations, but once Beckett was born, she was finally able to navigate through accepting baby weight. "When I look back to when I had my first son, I was unhappy ... I wish I could have that time back," she admitted. "With my second son, I enjoyed the whole process of him being an infant more because I wasn't mad at myself. When you are mad at yourself, you are mad at everybody. That's the problem."

From "The King of Queens," Patton Oswalt continued to have a highly successful career that allowed him to cross over into various projects, ranging from Disney animated films like "Ratatouille" to narrating "The Goldbergs." Despite his success, Oswalt suffered an incredible loss in 2016 when his wife, Michelle McNamara, passed away from an accidental overdose. She was 46.

This was a significant shock in his personal life, as he shared a thenseven years old daughter, Alice, with McNamara, making his journey through grief even more challenging. Though Oswalt appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and compared being a widower to being in a "bad '80s sitcom" in 2016, Oswalt suggested that he was struggling coming to terms with his wife's death, more so than his daughter. During his appearance on "The Off Camera Show," Oswalt went into depth about how he was making an effort to avoid grieving during this time. "I was trying to make myself this painless android," he explained. "Wake up in the morning, make Alice breakfast, get her to school." His whole life was a routine. "That's all I wanted. I didn't want to think about anything."

Merrin Dungey's trajectory as an actor saw her grow far beyond her role as Deacon Palmer's wife, Kelly Palmer, in "The King of Queens." With a resume decorated in notable series like "Alias" and "Big Little Lies," it's clear to see why Dungey was such a prominent actor for many years. This, however, isn't to say she never faced unique hardships. As unpredictable as an acting career can be, Dungey learned the hard way that a spot on a prominent network television show isn't always promised.

This came in 2007, when Dungey was initially booked to play Naomi Bennett in the "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff, "Private Practice." She was promptly replaced due to creative reasons, which, according to her 2017 interview with eyewear brand David Kind, was "devastating," as it was her first time experiencing this. "You're nothing in this town if you haven't been fired," she said. "It's a long career if you're lucky." In 2014, Dungey touched on this in a joint interview with her sister, Channing Dungey, for the Television Academy. "I had gone to New York, did the upfronts for the show, went away and got married. Then I found out I was being replaced. ... It was a lesson in 'I don't have control.'"

Through his portrayal of Doug Heffernan's loyal best friend, Deacon Palmer, in "The King of Queens," Victor Williams had a regular gig on a network sitcom for eight years. Afterward, Williams sustained a relatively active acting career that allowed him to appear in shows such as "The Affair," "Sneaky Pete," and "Happy Together." Alongside this, Williams also maintained a growing family. Although he keeps his familial business close to his chest, he did give us some insight into this aspect of his life in 2020.

When the pandemic hit, it created uncertainty for multiple lines of work. For Williams, it probably halted some acting projects he was working on, which was also the case for other actors. One thing he noted, however, was the unique experience of parenting throughout the pandemic. During his Zoom interview with Joanna Pickering for the "NYC Web Fest" in 2020, Pickering asked how the pandemic had been for him, to which he described it as "rough." While Williams understood that his specific set of challenges was different from others, he expressed how difficult this change of pace was for him. "For me, as a father of two, the biggest challenge is Zoom school with a 4-year-old and an 11-year-old, and it's very difficult, not just in terms of the construct but having kids who don't have that social interaction, trying to sort of keep them stimulated, and thriving, it's really hard," he explained. 

Amongst the cast of "The King of Queens," no one was as much of a fan favorite as the grumpy father-in-law, Arthur Spooner. Played by Jerry Stiller, who was coming off his stint in "Seinfeld," the role kept the legendary actor busy for the better part of eight years. With an illustrious career in the acting industry dating back as far as the 1950s, Jerry lived a fruitful life, whether it be as an on-screen personality or as the father of Ben Stiller. He'd eventually pass in 2020 at the age of 92. Through announcing this unfortunate news on X (Twitter) Ben noted that his passing was simply due to natural causes. "He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed," Ben wrote. "Love you, Dad."

The cast of "The King of Queens" couldn't help but pay an emotional tribute to their beloved co-star during their 2023 reunion for the show's 25th anniversary (via Entertainment Weekly). From Kevin James, noting an instance where he stuck with him while he was sick on set, to Leah Remini praising his empathetic presence behind the cameras, you could feel just how much Jerry meant to the entire cast. "He lived a long, full life, but nevertheless, no matter how good a life and long a life somebody leads, when they're gone, you really feel the loss," executive producer Michael Weithorn stated.

Some people will recognize Lou Ferrigno for his portrayal of "The Incredible Hulk" in many movies and TV shows since 1977. By the time he joined the cast of "The King of Queens," his sporadic appearances were just a fictional embodiment of himself. Lou got to carry his success well throughout his career, but tragedy ultimately flooded his personal life in tragic ways. In 2023, it came out that Lou's wife, Carla Ferrigno — who also made small appearances in "The King of Queens" — has dementia. As reported by The Blast, Lou petitioned to be the sole trustee of the family trust, as her condition had advanced rapidly.

Lou, however, got into legal warfare with his family. For starters, Carla filed for divorce just days after her diagnosis was made public, claiming Lou was abusive and unfaithful to her throughout their marriage. He'd later get into legal battles with his daughter, Shanna Ferrigno, as well, whom he deemed to be abusive and financially exploitive. According to Courthouse News, Lou Ferrigno claimed his daughter restricted access to his social media accounts, with his lawyer stating
she had "taken the social media credentials hostage." "This is just drama, and it's really sad," Shanna said. "I'm just really sickened by this."

Larry Romano's portrayal of the street-smart Italian-American Richie Iannucci in "The King of Queens" exemplifies Romano's charisma as a performer. Born in Mount Vernon, New York, and having navigated the acting industry as both a writer and actor, Romano's career has been nothing but fruitful. With that being said, Romano seemed to prefer keeping the attention on just that. Unless, of course, his tragic personal story can help in raising money for charities he cares about, which is what we saw in 2024.

That year, Romano appeared on "Listens Live" alongside the United Breast Cancer Foundation, announcing his partnership with the nonprofit organization. Romano spoke about his longstanding history with cancer. "I've been searching for a charity to work with for quite some time. ... I went through cancer, and I lost my wife to breast cancer," he shared. For the organization, Romano prompted a giveaway for the leather jacket he wore on "The King of Queens," with all proceeds going toward UBCF's efforts in cancer research, treatments, and more. "I choke up because it means a lot to me what they're doing here because we're able to help other people," he explained. 

In "The King of Queens," Jenny O'Hara portrayed Doug Heffernan's loving mother, Janet Heffernan. With a series of notable appearances in a myriad of projects, from playing Frank Whaley's mother in "Career Opportunities" to briefly appearing alongside the cast of "The Pitt" as Candace O'Grady, O'Hara has been a notable name in the acting industry, known best for her roles as an onscreen mother. Usually, these would have their positives, but her 2 episode-stint on "Beverly Hills, 90210" drew close parallels to what she was going through within her personal life at the time.

In seasons 2 and 3 of "Beverly Hills, 90210," she portrayed Pam Scanlon, the mother of Scott Scanlon, who died of suicide. Given the sensitive topic, O'Hara recalled having a conversation with Paul Wagner about playing the grieving mother on the "Beverly Hills Show Podcast" in 2024. It drew parallels to O'Hara's personal life, as she was coping with her husband's deteriorating health at the time. "It was a long conversation about my husband and his health at that time, which was pretty peerless," she explained. "But it's fine now. Everything was fine, but it was really kind of shaky." O'Hara hinted that Pam's spiral through grief was as pure as it could be, due to her circumstances with her husband. "The room was real ... is all I could say," she stated.

The highly proclaimed Wonder Boy of Hollywood, Mookie Barker — real name Jim Myers — had a unique stint on "The King of Queens" as he portrayed everything from Coach Prudente to a doctor in the CBS sitcom. The actor had a lengthy stint working alongside Kevin James, who regularly cast him in numerous projects like "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," "Zookeeper," and "Here Comes the Boom."

From 2012 onward, the actor stepped away from acting altogether and led an extremely private life. In 2025, the acclaimed actor would pass away, at age 77. According to his obituary on Neptune Society, his cause of death was from an undisclosed illness he was dealing with. With numerous family and friends leaving heartfelt stories about their interactions with the actor, it's clear just how impactful he was to everyone in his life. One of which also included comedian Pat Godwin, who took to Facebook to speak about his experience with Barker shortly after learning of his death. "Jim Myers passed away," he wrote. "He was one of the first comics I worked with on the road. Right before I was introduced, he said he'd pay me $50 if I opened the show with something so filthy I can't say it on Facebook. I laughed all the way to the stage and still do, thinking about it. Rest in peace, Jim."