Joey Morgan, an actor best known for 2015’s “Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse,” died Sunday at age 28. His passing was confirmed by one of the actor’s representatives, although no cause of death was given.
“Joey Morgan passed away early Sunday morning,” they wrote in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter. “We hope everyone understands how painful this is for his loved ones and can respect boundaries and allow them to grieve in private.”
The Chicago native is perhaps most famous for the action-comedy “Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse,” in which he plays panic-prone scout Augie Foster alongside Tye Sheridan and Logan Miller. From there, the actor went on to star in a plethora of comedy flicks, including “Compadres,” “Camp Manna” and “Flower,” the latter premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017. Morgan himself garnered wide acclaim for his performance and was named one of Tribeca’s breakout talents that year by IndieWire.
He also had a recurring role on “Critters: A New Binge,” a Shudder series based on the 1986 cult classic “Critters.”
Morgan’s last major big-screen role was in the 2020 film “Max Reload and the Nether Blasters,” which featured Greg Grunberg (“Heroes”), Lukas Gage (“The White Lotus”) and “Clerks” filmmaker Kevin Smith.
The horror-comedy world was devastated over the funnyman’s death.
“Rest in peace Joey,” wrote “Flower” co-star Zoey Deutch on Instagram alongside a photo of her and Morgan. “A deeply kind, talented, special person. We love you.” In a reply to her post, Patrick Schwarzenegger — who worked with Morgan in “Scouts Guide” — called him “such a hilarious bright star when I worked with him. Wow. This is awful.”
“Scouts” director Christopher Landon mourned the actor’s passing on Twitter, writing, “Joey Morgan came into my life nearly 9 years ago when I made Scouts. He was quiet, funny, intelligent and thoughtful. And when the cameras rolled he was magnetic.
“He passed today and the news is heartbreaking,” the bereaved auteur added. “I am honored to have known him.”