Sam Lerner took to Instagram on Sunday to announce that his uncle had passed away the previous night at the age of 81. No cause of death was given. Sam, also an actor, went on to joke that Michael was “insane” but “in the best way”. “I’m so lucky I got to spend so much time with him, and we’re all lucky we can continue to watch his work for the rest of time.” Michael appeared in movies including Elf, Godzilla, and Clerk. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the 1991 film Barton Fink.




