'Seinfeld' Actor and Comedian Hiram Kasten Dead at 71

Hiram Kasten, an actor and comedian known for his appearances on sitcoms including Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Saved by the Bell, has died following a battle with prostate cancer, RadarOnline.com has learned.

According to an obituary in the local New York paper The Batavian, Kasten died in his wife's arms on the day after their 38th wedding anniversary after "seven years of fighting through a multitude of illnesses, including prostate cancer and his lifelong battle with Crohn’s disease." He was 71.

After getting his start in theater, Kasten turned to stand-up comedy in the 1970s, becoming a regular at New York City clubs like The Comic Strip. There, he met Jerry Seinfeld, striking up a friendship that would go on to last 45 years.

In 1987, Kasten moved from New York to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a television actor. He appeared in Seinfeld, playing Elaine's co-worker Michael, alongside other shows including Mad About You, Everybody Loves Raymond, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 7th Heaven, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Saved by the Bell, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and L.A. Law.

Kasten stepped away from the public eye after his health took a downturn in 2017. He is survived by his wife Diana Kisiel Kastenbaum, daughter Millicent Jade, and brother-in-law Kevin John Kisiel, along with "several loving nieces and nephews and their children, as well as wonderful cousins on both sides of the family."

"Hiram Kasten loved show business and lived his dream of being in show business," the obituary shared on his official Facebook page on Sunday reads. "His most satisfying and greatest role though was as a family man."

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Funeral services will be held at Schwartz Brothers-Jeffers Memorial Chapel in Forest Hills, New York, with a memorial service in Los Angeles to follow later this summer.

The family has asked that any memorial tributes be made in the form of charitable donations to Crossroads House and the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund).