Mark York, Billy Merchant on ‘The Office,’ Dies at 55

Mark York, an actor best known for appearing on four episodes of “The Office,” has died at the age of 55, according to an online obituary.

According to the obituary, which was published last week, York died on May 19 at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, after “a brief and unexpected illness.” No specific cause of death was given.

On “The Office,” York played Billy Merchant, the property manager whose wheelchair becomes the target of Michael Scott’s ignorance in a memorable scene from the Season 1 episode “The Injury.” He went on to make minor appearances in three other episodes across Seasons 1 and 2.

“The letters I get about the character are great,” York said in a 2010 interview with People. “One fan wrote, ” ‘You’re just trying to do your job and you shed light on how crazy office politics can be for [workers with disabilities] to interact with co-workers in a normal setting.’”

According to his obituary, York had been paraplegic since 1988.

His other acting credits include appearances on “8 Simple Rules” and “CSI: New York.” Most recently, he had been working as an inventor.