Michael Gray, a 1970s teen idol who starred as Billy Batson, the youth who turned into Captain Marvel on the Saturday morning television children’s action series “Shazam!”, died on Oct. 16. He was 75.

A family spokesperson said that Gray died in Palm Springs, California, of natural causes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Gray was a teen heartthrob who graced the covers of “Tiger Beat” and other magazines geared toward youths, and appeared as the boyfriend of Marcia Brady (Maureen McCormick) in a 1973 episode of “The Brady Bunch,” People reported.

Gray appeared in other television shows, including a 10-episode stint on “The Little People” in 1972-73, according to IMDb.com.

But his big break came in 1974 when he took on the role of Billy Batson in “Shazam!”

Batson transformed into the superhero Captain Marvel by uttering the magic word, “Shazam!” according to Deadline.

With his guardian “Mentor” (Les Tremayne), Billy traveled the country in a 1973 Dodge Open Road motorhome looking to correct injustices, the entertainment news website reported.

“I didn’t know the character or the story when I was initially cast, so I had to be a quick study -- so it was fun and exhausting, challenging and thrilling, all at once,” Gray said during a Comic-Con panel in 2012, according to Deadline. “It didn’t matter that it was on Saturday morning or primetime -- though the fact that it was one of the first few live-action shows on Saturday morning was exciting.

“It truly was a thrilling show to work.”

Gary appeared in all 28 episodes of the show from 1974 to 1976, according to IMDb.com.

Gray had a cameo appearance in the 2023 film, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. He interacted with Zachary Levi’s Captain Marvel character in a nod to the original series.

Gray was born in Chicago on Sept. 2, 1951, but grew up in Miami Beach, Florida, People reported.

Gray said he enjoyed his Billy Batson character.

“I remember when we were experimenting with the change from Billy to Captain Marvel, using a sort of flash device, and ‘poof!’ -- the smoke would clear, and I was a little singed,” Gray told Comic Book Resources in 2012. “They changed that real quick. That definitely didn’t work.”

Gray also appeared on television on “Dynasty,” “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” “Room 222″ and “The Flying Nun,” People reported. He also played Burt Reynolds‘ younger brother in the television movie “Run, Simon, Run” and appeared in the films “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” and “Myra Breckinridge.”

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