On Friday, December 31, Kevin Smith's reality series Comic Book Men star Robert Bruce was found dead in a storage facility in Red Bank, New Jersey. The 62-year-old reportedly resided in a basement unit at the storage facility, which he also used as his office.
As per Deadline, Red Bank police found Robert Bruce after his family reported that he had not established contact with them for a few days. The cause of his death is not known yet, however, police have stated no suspicion of foul play at the early stage of the investigation.
The news of Robert Bruce's demise was shared by his brother, John, who mentioned it in reply to Kevin Smith's 'New Year' tweet. Later, Comic Book Men's broadcasting network, AMC, also shared a condolence tweet for the show's late star.
What is known about Robert Bruce?
Robert Bruce (aka The Popculturalist) was a pop-culture expert, producer and actor. As an actor, he was known for his roles in 2019's biographical comedy film Shooting Clerks and a comedy-horror Burn in Hell, which is still in production.
The New Jersey resident also served as a consulting producer in 82 episodes while also appearing as himself in the reality TV show in 34 episodes. The Popculturalist was associated with AMC's Comic Book Men from 2012 to 2018. Robert Bruce's expertise in pop culture is also proven by his association with his business, where he deals with vintage and collectible pop-cultural memorabilia and props.
As per his eBay store, Robert Bruce had collected and dealt with these items for over 30 years. The store's description mentions that they buy and sell,
"Vintage Japanese vinyl figures - Kaiju and toys or Uncommon underground and alternative press comic books or vintage political items, Lp's - Books or scarce swag."
Meanwhile, on his Instagram profile, Bruce also claims to be a co-creator of the New Jersey Horror-Con. The 62-year-old was known for frequenting flea markets, and even his last post on Instagram was a snap of the New Jersey flea market on December 22.