Salute Your Shorts Star Kirk Baily Passes Away At 59

Salute Your Shorts is one of the hidden gems of the classic Nickelodeon catalog. The 90s tween sitcom followed the adventures of a misfit group of summer campers who loved to torture the head counselor, Ug Lee. The actor who portrayed Ug, Kirk Baily, has passed away at the age of 59.

Baily was diagnosed with lung cancer just six months ago, according to TMZ. Kirk’s family announced that he lost his battle over the weekend. It is sad news for a generation of kids who grew up watching his comedic exploits at Camp Anawanna.

The cast of the series most recently reunited at a Good Burger pop-up shop in Hollywood. Baily was in great spirits and enjoyed catching up. The cast and production staff all remained close friends after the series’ short run.

Kirk Baily started his career in Hollywood as a sound coordinator on the cult horror flick “Killer Klowns from Outer Space.” Early acting roles included 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain” and “The Sixth Man.” Kirk has done mostly voice work for anime shows and video games in recent years.

Salute Your Shorts launched several careers in the most unorthodox of ways. Blake Sennett, who played Pinsky on Salute Your Shorts later hooked up with fellow child actor Jenny Lewis (“The Wizard”) to form the popular rock band, Rilo Kiley. Kirk was proud of the work he did and his positive influence will leave a lasting legacy.

The time for awful waffles and flagpole underwear pranks is long passed, but Kirk Baily was a beloved cast member by all who worked with him. We will always have the memories. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends, family, coworkers, and loved ones of a true icon of children’s television.

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