The Office Actor Mark York Dead At 55

It’s a sad day for The Office fans.

Mark York, the actor behind fan favorite character Billy Merchant, died on Wednesday following “a brief and unexpected illness,” according to an obituary. At just 55 years old, he passed in a Miami, Ohio hospital.

For the early seasons of the sitcom, York appeared as the owner of the Scranton Business Park building in which Dunder Mifflin’s offices were located. He concluded his run on the show with Season 5 in “Dream Team,” an episode in which Michael rents a storage closet as his office for the Michael Scott Paper Company. Mark was also known for appearances on CSI: NY and Fighting Words.

Via his family’s obituary shared by the Kreitzer Funeral Home, Mark had been paraplegic since 1988, but never lost his “outgoing, uplifting, positive attitude and personality.” He deeply “loved TV and the film industry” and “could quote so many lines from movies.”

Co-stars Rainn Wilson and Jenna Fischer are just some of the first to take a moment to honor their deceased friend on Twitter (below).

R.I.P. Mark York, AKA BILLY MERCHANT from The Office: https://t.co/qAOGv6Gmqh He was a terrific human, a positive force and a dynamic actor. You will be missed.

— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) May 25, 2021

Mark was a lovely man and a pleasure to work with. Very funny every time. Much love to his family. https://t.co/isS2GIbebD

— Jenna Fischer (@jennafischer) May 25, 2021