John Dye

Early life

Dye was born in Amory, Mississippi, one of three sons of Jim and Lynn Dye, a furniture manufacturer and homemaker, respectively, who raised their sons in the Methodist faith. The family moved to Cleveland, Tennessee, where he attended Cleveland High School, and later to Tupelo, Mississippi. He was introduced to acting by playing the role of Friedrich, the youngest von Trapp child in a school production of The Sound of Music at Cleveland High School. He performed as a trombonist in the band program. He graduated from Tupelo High School, where he again played Friedrich von Trapp. Dye found himself bitten by the acting bug. After graduating, he enrolled at Mississippi State University in hopes of becoming a civil rights lawyer. After a year at Mississippi State University, he decided to become an actor, and was advised against it by his great-grandmother. He transferred to Memphis State and majored in theater.

Career

In Memphis, Dye discovered that a Judd Nelson film called Making the Grade (1984) was filming in the area. Dye landed his first film role as "Skip." In 1986 he starred alongside actresses Virginia Madsen and Cynthia Gibb in the comedy film Modern Girls. In 1987 Dye got his first leading role, in the film Campus Man, as Todd Barrett. That same year, he re-teamed with Nelson in the television miniseries Billionaire Boys Club. In 1989, he starred alongside actors James Earl Jones and Eric Roberts in the martial-arts drama Best of the Best.

By the time the 1990s came around, Dye decided to make a move towards television. He was cast as Private Francis "Doc Hoc" Hockenbury in the last season of Tour of Duty. When the series finished, he moved on to short-lived series such as Jack's Place (1992) and Hotel Malibu (1994). In 1994, he appeared as Andrew the "Angel of Death" on Touched by an Angel with Roma Downey & Della Reese. Originally cast as a recurring character, by the third season he was made a regular cast member as his character quickly became popular. The show ran for nine seasons before ending in April 2003. In 2000, he starred in the television movie Once Upon a Christmas. In 2001, he appeared in the sequel Twice Upon a Christmas. In the 1985 music video for the ZZ Top song "Sleeping Bag", he appeared alongside fellow actors Tracey Walter and Heather Langenkamp.

Death

Dye was found dead in his home in San Francisco, California on January 10, 2011. His family reported that he died due to heart-related problems. His funeral was held at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church in his hometown of Amory, Mississippi, where he and his family were members. His resting place is at Haughton Memorial Park, Amory.