Jack Wild Died on March 2, 2006

The life of Jack Wild
Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 2 March 2006) was an English actor who achieved fame for his roles in both stage and screen productions of the Lionel Bart musical Oliver! with Ron Moody, Shani Wallis and Oliver Reed. For the latter performance (playing the Artful Dodger), he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the age of 16, but the Oscar went to Jack Albertson for his performance in The Subject Was Roses. Jack Wild appeared with actor Mark Lester in two films: Oliver! (1968) and Melody (1971).

Excessive drinking at an early age quickly derailed Wild's career. Some observers believe that Wild was the inspiration for "Little Man, What Now?" on Morrissey's first solo album Viva Hate.[citation needed] The song wistfully laments an unnamed, forgotten child star of Wild's approximate age.

Sobering up in 1988, he returned to the big screen in a few minor roles, such as in the 1991 Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. He was also reported to be developing a TV situation comedy with Suzi Quatro around the same time, but those plans never materialized in an actual series. For the most part, though, Wild spent the remainder of his career working in theater.

The Death of Jack Wild
Wild died on 2 March, 2006, aged 53, after a long battle with oral cancer, which he claimed[citation needed] was caused by his alcoholism and smoking. Diagnosed with the disease in 2000, he underwent surgery in July 2004 and had part of his tongue and both vocal cords removed. Because of this surgery, he had lost his speech and had to communicate through his wife, Clare Harding, whom he had met in the pantomime Cinderella Greenwich where Jack played one of the ugly stepsisters. He is buried in Toddington Parish Cemetery