in Los Angeles, California. He was extremely active in the "Animal Rights and Welfare Movement", begun by his wife, Shirley. He donated some of his estate to "The Sperl Family Foundation", a no-cost spay and neuter organization for animals. Death Farrell died on May 9, 1989, aged 66, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California of a heart attack. He was preceded in death by his wife who was an actress. His wife died of natural causes. His daughter, Timmie, was a bit part actress on the soap opera General Hospital, and died from a drug overdose. His son, Anthony Kelly Sperl, runs the Sperl Family Foundation from his residence in Sun Valley, California. Anthony had briefly been a police officer in Stanton, California, until March 1983 when he fatally shot 5-year-old Patrick Andrew Mason in his home, mistaking the boy's toy gun for a real weapon. Sperl quit the force, claiming post-traumatic stress disorder and was awarded a disability pension soon after being cleared of wrongdoing. Filmography External links References American male film actors Male actors from Los Angeles Businesspeople from California People from Greater Los Angeles 1922 births 1989 deaths Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American businesspeople United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II