'Carnivale,' 'Beverly Hills: 90210' actor Brian Turk dies at 49 after battle with brain cancer

Actor Brian Turk, who starred on HBO's "Carnivàle" and made appearances on "Beverly Hills: 90210," died Friday morning of complications from brain cancer at age 49, representative Hayley Littman confirmed to USA TODAY.

Turk's biggest recurring role was on "Carnivàle," where he was a series regular on the mid-2000s' show about a traveling carnival in the Depression-era Dust Bowl. He played Gabriel, the carnival's "strongman." He also had guest spots on "Boy Meets World," "ER," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Saved by the Bell," "Criminal Minds," and "Two and a Half Men," according to his IMDB page.

Turk's major movie credits included "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," "A.I.," and "American Pie 2."

'His music was a gift to us all': Music industry mourns The Cars frontman Ric Ocasek

Eddie Money, 'Take Me Home Tonight' rocker, dies at 70

Littman confirmed that a GoFundMe pagewas created by Carlos Marlene Montiel, Turk's friend from high school. The page was launched in July and announced that Turk had been diagnosed with cancer "just over a year ago" and had "now become terminal."

"Being the selfless and private person that he is, Brian kept this quiet so as not to concern his family and friends," the page's description read. "Brian wants to fight this battle as he has a wife & an 8 year old son, who calls him his best friend. His will to live is strong but this is expensive."

The GoFundMe page has collected over $28,000.

Actor Michael Patrick McGill tweeted a selfie with Turk on Saturday, writing he was "saddened to hear I lost a friend today."

He added: "Gone WAY too soon. Years of solid work. Will miss seeing you in the trenches, Brother. Condolences & best wishes to his family, especially his wife & young son."

See our full coverage of entertainment news

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brian Turk, 'Carnivale' and 'Beverly Hills: 90210' actor, dies at 49