The Devastating Death Of Salute Your Shorts Star Kirk Baily

Kirk Baily, best known for the role of Kevin "Ug" Lee in the early 1990s Nickelodeon sitcom "Salute Your Shorts," died on February 28, 2022, at the age of 59. News of his death first came from TMZ, which reported he died from lung cancer, for which he had only been diagnosed six months prior. 

Baily had an extensive filmography dating back to the 1980s, appearing in both live-action and animated properties. While he became known to a generation of TV viewers as camp counselor Ug, who was frequently the butt of jokes and pranks on "Salute Your Shorts," he also appeared in the likes of "The Sixth Man," "Melrose Place," and "Felicity." He was also well-known for his voiceover work in cartoons, anime, and video games, including providing the voice of Shin in the English version of "Cowboy Bebop."

Baily played an important role in the lives of many Gen Xers and millennials, and as countless fans pay respects, we'll do the same.

It's clear even decades after "Salute Your Shorts" aired, it retained a special place in Kirk Baily's heart. In 2019, he reunited with some of his old Nickelodeon castmates to attend a Good Burger pop-up stand in West Hollywood. It was pure '90s nostalgia, and Baily even read off trivia questions for people to test their old TV show knowledge. 

Suffice to say, fans are heartbroken over Kirk Baily's death. Many have taken to Twitter to voice their despondence over his passing, such as @nemalki, who wrote, "RIP Kirk Baily. Let's all salute the greatest TV camp counselor of all time, Kevin "Ug" Lee from Salute Your Shorts." There was also @chris_mayek, who paid tribute to his voiceover work in anime: "RIP Kirk Baily. Loved his voice work in Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Fushigi Yuugi, Kenshin, and several other 90s/early 2000s series."

Kirk Baily could most recently be heard on such projects as "Night of the Animated Dead" and "The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run." Our thoughts go out to his friends, family, and fans at this time.