Star of Disney Channel's found dead in his home

31-year-old actor Michael Galeota, best known for being a former Disney Channel star, was found dead in his Glendale home on Sunday, TMZ writes.

The actor's friends had not heard from him in several days and went to the apartment to check on him. Galeota was in the hospital less than a week earlier, but left on Wednesday. He had been experiencing abdominal pain and had a history of high cholesterol and hypertension.

Galeota also experienced diverculitis, or inflammation in pouches of the intestinal tract, which may have caused the abdominal pain. TMZ sources suggest Galeota was not following medical advice and that his health problems may be the cause of death, but there will be an autopsy.

During the 1990s, Galeota appeared in several films and television shows — but viewers will probably recognize him most for The Jersey, a 1999 Disney Channel Original Series about a magical jersey that turned ordinary kids into star athletes. Galeota starred in the show alongside Courtnee Draper, Jermaine Williams and Theo Greenly.