SAN FRANCISCO — Jay North, the child actor who starred in the early ’60s sitcom “Dennis the Menace” died Sunday afternoon. He was 73. 

The actor had been battling colon cancer for years and died at home, according to a social media post shared by sitcom co-star Jeannie Russell. 

“He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply,” wrote close friend Laurie Jacobson on Facebook. “He called us frequently and ended every conversation with ‘I love you with all my heart.’ And we loved him with all of ours.”

“He is out of pain now. His suffering is over,” she continued. “At last he is at peace.”

North was cast into his breakout role at 6 years old after winning a nationwide casting search, according to Deadline. “Dennis the Menace” was CBS’s sitcom adaptation of a popular comic strip by Hank Ketcham. 

Often wearing a striped shirt and overalls, Dennis’ mischievous antics frequently frustrated his retired next-door neighbor George Wilson, played by Joseph Kearns. Dennis’ patient parents were played by Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry.

The show ran from 1959 through 1963 and has nearly 150 episodes, according to IMDb. The show ran on Sunday nights until it was canceled in 1963. After that it was a fixture for decades in syndication.

Deadline says the child actor was abused by his aunt and uncle while on the show, a fact revealed during a 1993 feature adaptation of the series.

While the show was airing, North was also performing as his sitcom character on “The Donna Reed Show,” “The Red Skelton Hour” and ’60s musical comedy “Pépé,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. 

North also appeared on other shows and movies throughout his life, like “Lassie,” “General Hospital” and “Dickie Robert: Former Child Star.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.