Michael Cole, AKA Pete Cochran from the groundbreaking ABC crime drama The Mod Squad, passed away on Tuesday, December 10, at the age of 84 at the Providence Tarzana Medical Center in California. Cole's representative made a statement confirming the actor's death.
"Cole passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones after living a full and vibrant life," the statement read.
Throughout his "full and vibrant life," Cole starred in more than 20 television shows and movies. Before getting his life-changing role as Pete Cochran in The Mod Squad, Cole appeared in several other works, including a television show titled Gunsmoke and two movies named The Bubble and Chuka.
He is survived by his wife, Shelley Funes and three children.
How many kids does Michael Cole have? Everything we know about the actor's life and legacy
Born in Madison, Wisconsin, on 3rd July, 1940, Cole was abandoned by his father at a very young age. Cole with his mother and brother Ted stayed in his grandmother's house, where his mother had to work multiple jobs to sustain the family. Cole dropped out of school in ninth grade and became addicted to alcohol in his teenage years. At the age of 17, Cole got married to his then girlfriend and the couple shared two kids. However, their marriage didn't survive, and Cole left Wisconsin before turning 20.
After leaving his hometown, Cole went to San Francisco and then to Las Vegas, where he worked as a bartender before finally moving to Los Angeles, where renowned acting coach Estelle Harmon mentored him free of cost.
Cole first appeared on screen in the 1961 film drama titled Forbid Them Not. After that he was seen playing Kipp in Gunsmoke, Mark in the movie The Bubble, and Spivey in Chuka before bagging his life-changing role in The Mod Squad. This five-season crime drama dealt with controversial issues such as social injustice, child abuse, drugs, and racism, which made Cole an international sensation. In 1971, Cole starred in The Last Child, the film went on to receive a Golden Globe nomination. He also made guest appearances in several productions, including Wonder Woman, The Love Boat, CHiPs, and Evening in Byzantium.
At the height of his stardom, Cole married Paula Kelly Jr., daughter of the founders of the famous musical group "The Modernaires." Cole and Paula shared one child together named Jennifer. However, Cole's rising fame and alcoholism marked the end of this marriage as well. After years of isolation, in 1989 Cole finally met Shelly Funes, who changed his life. The couple tied the knot in 1996, and with Shelly's encouragement, Cole went to rehab at the Betty Ford Center in 1994 and got completely sober. After recovering from his alcohol problem, Cole began to work again. In 2006 he made an appearance as Charles Hadley in ER; he was cast opposite Clarence Williams III in an episode of the Mystery Woman: At First Sight movie series and in the 2007 movie Mr. Brooks, starring Demi Moore. In May 2018, Cole published his memoir titled I Played the White Guy, a witty and candid account of his life, career, and struggles, and his role as Pete Cochran in The Mod Squad that changed his life.
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Cole's representative said in a statement,
"Michael Cole will be remembered for his warm and generous spirit, for his wit, charm, and boundless compassion, he brought joy to every room he entered. A storyteller at heart, he had a way of making those around him feel special, often regaling them with anecdotes from his Hollywood days or sharing wisdom from his remarkable journey. While his loss is deeply felt, his contributions to the arts and his enduring kindness ensure his memory will live on."
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