Son of Actress Cloris Leachman Dead

NEW YORK (AP) _ Actress Cloris Leachman’s son, a 30-year-old aspiring actor, was found in his room at a YMCA, and police said an overdose of medication for an ulcer may have killed him.

But Dr. Elliot Gross, the city’s chief medical examiner, said an autopsy had been performed, and that determination of the cause of death would have to await ″completion of chemical and microscopic tests.″

Bryan Englund died Tuesday in his room, where two bottles of medication for ulcers were found, according to police Sgt. Diane Kuebler. She said an overdose may have killed him.

Englund had checked into the $22-a-day room on Saturday, Rhys Ritter, a spokesman for the YMCA, said.

After a maid got no answer when she knocked on the door, hotel officials opened the room and they found Englund on the bed, Ritter said.

He was dead by the time an ambulance arrived, Ritter said.

Steven Vail, Miss Leachman’s manager, said the actress, her ex-husband, George Englund, and her four other children gathered at her Los Angeles home Tuesday night after receiving news of her son’s death.

Miss Leachman, who appeared on ″The Mary Tyler Moore Show″ and in numerous films, received an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role in ″The Last Picture Show.″ Her son had been working as an actor for some years, with ″minimal success,″ Vail said.

″It’s very hard, and he wanted to do it on his own,″ Vail said.

Vail said Englund had no serious illnesses as far as the family knew, and there was no indication that he was suicidal.

Englund lived in Los Angeles but had been in New York for several months, staying with friends, Vail said. He moved into the YMCA temporarily, Vail said, because the friends had family visiting and needed the room.

Mickey Freeman, a spokesman for Miss Leachman, said Englund is survived by his common-law wife, Pamela Pietri, and a year-old daughter, Portia.