John Kirby Dies: Acting Coach, Bruno Kirby’s Brother & Bruce Kirby’s Son Was 75

John Kirby, an acting coach, brother of City Slickers star Bruno Kirby, and the son of Bruce Kirby, has died. He was 75.

The actor and acting coach died the morning of Wednesday, July 15, three years after being diagnosed with ALS.

“I am here to officially, with a broken heart, announce the passing of our beloved John on the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 15, and it has been devastating for all of us. And we’re trying to just find a way to cope,” longtime associate Nathan Besbitt confirmed in a social media post shared on Kirby’s Instagram.

John Kirby was diagnosed with ALS on July 7, 2023, a year after he began to feel symptoms. It was following a fall and a fractured hip the previous month that he got the medical tests done that revealed the diagnosis.

John Kirby had a long-standing working relationship with Jim Caviezel as his acting coach in the 2000 film Frequency. Films where John Kirby served as Caviezel’s acting coach that followed were Pay It Forward (2000), Angel Eyes (2001), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), High Crimes (2002), I Am David (2003), The Final Cut (2004), Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004), and Unknown (2006).

Other films in which John Kirby lent his talents included Peter Pan (2003), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Underdog (2007), Outlander (2008), Hotel California (2008), Scream 4 (2011), Prom (2011), and The Age of Adaline (2015), to name a few.

A memorial service for John Kirby has been set for Saturday, August 15 at 1 p.m. at Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills. A GoFundMe page has been set up for those who wish to donate.