LAKE BUTLER, Florida — Jay North, who portrayed the longtime comics character in the 1950s and ‘60s TV series “Dennis the Menace,” has died at the age of 73, according to multiple reports.

North died Sunday at his home in Lake Butler after battling colon cancer, said Laurie Jacobson, a longtime friend, and Bonnie Vent, who was his booking agent.

“As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after … but he did not let it define his life,” Jacobson wrote in a post on social media. “He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. …

“He is out of pain now. His suffering is over. At last he is at peace.”

Jon Provost, who as a child starred in “Lassie,” also paid tribute to North.

“It wasn’t as easy for you as it was for some of us, not that it was a piece of cake that’s for sure, but you did suffer a lot more than most,” Provost writes. “You were a great guy Jay and I miss you with all my heart, but I know you’re at peace now.”

“Dennis the Menace” ran for four seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1963, according to IMDB.com. North, who was only 8 years old when the show began airing, played the title character created by comics artist Hank Ketcham.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, North was not upset when the series came to an end. He said he was physically abused by his aunt, his guardian on the show, who would hit him if he made too many mistakes during taping of episodes.

“Even if a delay wasn’t my fault, she would find a way to blame me and punish me,” North said. “She was also very possessive and isolated me from the rest of the cast. I couldn’t even eat lunch with everybody else. She made me eat it in the dressing room by myself.”

Still, North continued to work as an actor, appearing on TV in shows including “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” “The Lucy Show,” “My Three Sons,” “Lassie” and “The Simpsons,” and in movies like “Maya” (1966), “The Teacher” (1974) and “Dickie Robert: Former Child Star” (2003).

Butch Patrick, who as a child starred in the TV show “The Munsters,” was friends with North and wrote in a post on social media that he seemed happy living in Florida.

“Jay was a very good friend,” Patrick says. “Kid actors from the ‘60s are a pretty small group to begin with and it’s shrinking quickly. … R.I.P. my dearest friend. We had a lotta laughs.”

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)