After "a courageous battle against cancer," actor and comedian Steven Levy, best known as Steve Bean, has passed away, according to his obituary on Legacy.com.
Levy, who had roles in shows like Shameless and Ray Donovan, died from complications of nose cancer on January 21.
The 58-year-old first revealed that he was diagnosed with "a rare and aggressive form of cancer called Sino-Nasal Squamous Cell Carcinoma" in a personal essay he wrote for Mel Magazine last year.
In the piece he titled My Year Without a Nose, Levy discussed his fight against the disease and detailed his subsequent treatment, which included radiation and a "schnozophomy. That's Yiddish for rhinectomy, which is English for cutting your nose off."
"If you're keeping track at home, I've now lost my nose, my tear ducts, my upper palate and gums, all but four of my teeth, my appetite, my right cheekbone, much of my right jawbone, much of my right cheek, my eyebrows and moustache (chemo), the feeling in my upper lip (surgery), most of the motor control of the right side of my face (surgery) and some hearing in each ear (chemo). I also lost about 40 pounds, and worst of all, I lost my sense of humor," Levy wrote.
The funnyman reassured his fans that his sense of humor eventually came back, but right around the time doctors told him he only had "nine to twelve months to live," because there's been "yet another recurrence of the cancer."
The Massachusetts native had a decades-long career as not only an actor and performer but also as a writer, who worked for shows such as Dot Comedy and the Tim Conway Show.
Levy had his start performing as a stand-up comedian in Pittsburgh area nightclubs before teaming up with comic Chris Zito to form the duo Zito and Bean in 1980.
The pair worked together for about a decade before Bean made his way to Los Angeles, where he joined the Groundlings Improv Group, and worked his way up screen acting.
He eventually landed roles in popular TV shows like Quantum Leap, Married With Children, Murder She Wrote, Monk, and Veronica Mars.
Levy spent his final moments at home in Los Angeles, California surrounded by his family.
He is survived by his wife Caroline Carrigan, son Jacob Randall, parents Irwin and Dorothy, and sisters Lauren and Jill.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Chapel Fund at Temple Emanuel in Rhode Island or to Cancer Support Community Pasadena at 76 E. Del Mar Blvd. #215, Pasadena, CA 91105.
