Ron Dean, who was best known for his roles in \u201cRisky Business\u201d and \u201cThe Breakfast Club,\u201d has passed away. He was 87.<\/p>\n
The actor died at a hospital in\u00a0Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, Oct. 5, his partner, Maggie Neff, told\u00a0TMZ<\/a> Wednesday.<\/p>\n Although the cause of death is unclear at this time, Neff said he\u2019d been fighting a long illness.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ron Dean passed away in a Chicago hospital on Oct. 5, 2025.<\/p>\n Dean was best known for his roles in \u201cRisky Business\u201d and \u201cThe Breakfast Club.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe passed at exactly 4 PM, after his beloved sisters had said their goodbyes. He hung on like a warrior to say goodbye to his little sisters,\u201d she told the outlet.<\/p>\n \u201cThen we were alone, and in my arms, I held his hand, and he trusted me when I told him that it was alright to let go,\u201d she added. \u201cWhat an honor!\u201d<\/p>\n Dean often played law enforcement characters throughout his lengthy acting career, and one of his earliest roles was as a detective in 1983\u2019s \u201cRisky Business\u201d alongside Tom Cruise.\u00a0<\/p>\n He went on to appear with the \u201cMission: Impossible\u201d star in two other films, including \u201cThe Color of Money\u201d in 1986 and \u201cCocktail\u201d in 1988.<\/p>\n However, the veteran actor was perhaps most popular for the 1985 John Hughes classic \u201cThe Breakfast Club,\u201d where he appeared as the father of Emilio Estevez\u2019s character Andrew Clark.<\/p>\n Besides appearing alongside William Shatner in one episode of \u201cT. J. Hooker,\u201d as well as opposite Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones in 1989\u2019s \u201cThe Package,\u201d Dean often collaborated with \u201cThe Fugitive\u201d director Andrew Davis.<\/p>\n Dean often collaborated with \u201cThe Fugitive\u201d director Andrew Davis.<\/p>\n Davis, who cast Dean in seven of his films, remembered his \u201cdear friend\u201d as a \u201ctremendous actor\u201d in a touching statement to Deadline<\/a> following the news of his death.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was the essence of what Chicago talent represented,\u201d the \u201cUnder Siege\u201d director shared.\u00a0\u201cHaving a very troubled youth, Ron turned his life around to have a wonderful career as a loving, decent human being and respected talent.\u201d<\/p>\n Neff, who was with Dean for 40 years, admitted to the outlet that it\u2019s \u201chard to capture what an extraordinary human being Ron was.\u201d<\/p>\n Dean and Patrick Swayze in Season 1 of \u201cThe Beast.\u201d \u00a9Sony Pictures Television\/Everet<\/p>\n \u201cOne glamorous woman friend of Ron\u2019s once told me that she\u2019d rather grab a hot dog with Ron Dean than have a fancy dinner with some rich bloke,\u201d she remembered. \u201cI have always felt the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n