EXCLUSIVE: How Late 'Dennis' Actor Died a Real-Life Menace — With Child Star's Cousin Accusing Him of Abandoning Her When She Was Homeless… Along With His Mom's 20 Cats
Jay North died following a battle with cancer.
April 7 2025, Published 2:41 p.m. ET
Dennis the Menace actor Jay North died a real-life menace.
RadarOnline.com can report how the child actor's cousin once accused him of abandoning her when she was homeless and even claimed he turned his back on his mother's 20 cats.
Jay North was known for his role on the hit sitcom, 'Dennis The Menace.'
After North's heartless alleged actions – Darla Schultz, a cat rescue worker who helped the animals and provided a room for his cousin at the time, slammed the former child star in an interview.
She said: "It’s sickening what he did. He’s a cruel punk."
North's cousin, Elizabeth Cotton, lived with his mother, Dorothy, for 20 years in California after she stepped up to care for her when her health started to deteriorate.
After Cotton fell in a swimming pool and broke her ankle, she was told she would "never work again."
Even though North wasn't home often to visit his mother, Schultz claimed: "He immediately talked his mother into putting the house up for sale."
North reached out to Schultz to help with his mother's 20 cats and to help find them new homes.
At the time, Schultz claimed: "He promised to pay $350 a month after that, but he hasn’t made a payment in three months."
After picking up his mother and taking her back to Florida, he left one person behind – his cousin.
Schultz claimed North said he would return for his family member, but that didn't happen.
Schultz allowed North's cousin to stay with her for a bit, but then she became a permanent tenant.
After Cotton and Schultz made their claims, North called the two "disgruntled" and denied the allegations.
At the time, Schultz revealed the cats were doing fine and she found homes for a few of them, but it was what North did to his own family member that stuck with her.
Cotton said of her superstar cousin's actions: "I guess now that I’m just out of sight and out of mind, I’m just a discard."
Jeanne Russell just called us with terribly sad, but not unexpected news. Our dear friend JAY NORTH has been fighting...
Posted by Laurie Jacobson on Sunday, April 6, 2025
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On Monday, Laurie Jacobson, a longtime friend and fellow actor on the original television show, announced North's death on Facebook following his battle with cancer.
She wrote: "Jeanne Russell just called us with terribly sad, but not unexpected news. Our dear friend JAY NORTH has been fighting cancer for a number of years, and this morning at noon EST, Jay passed peacefully at home. As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after...but he did not let it define his life.
"He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with 'I love you with all my heart.' And we loved him with all of ours. A lifelong friend of Jon's, a brother to Jeanne and a dear friend to me, we will miss him terribly. He is out of pain now. His suffering is over. At last he is at peace."
North is survived by his third wife, Cindy, and three stepdaughters.
