Most people remember him as the wide-eyed kid with the bowl cut. Larry Simms, famously known as "Baby Dumpling" from the iconic Blondie film series, was one of the few child stars who actually managed to walk away from the Hollywood machine with his sanity intact. But because he lived such a quiet, private life after the cameras stopped rolling in 1950, a lot of mystery has swirled around his later years and his eventual passing.
So, let's get into it. Larry Simms cause of death was emphysema. He passed away on June 17, 2009, in Chon Buri, Thailand.
He was 74 years old at the time. It’s a bit of a bittersweet ending for a guy who spent his toddler years under hot studio lights and his adult years seeking out the peace of the Far East. Honestly, it's pretty rare to see a child actor from that era end up as an aeronautical engineer instead of a tabloid headline.
The Reality of Larry Simms Cause of Death
Emphysema is a tough way to go. It’s a chronic lung condition, usually part of COPD, where the air sacs in the lungs are damaged. Over time, it basically makes it feel like you’re breathing through a straw. While we don't have a public medical record detailing his lifelong habits, the condition is most commonly associated with long-term smoking or exposure to airborne irritants.
By the time he died in 2009, Simms had been living in Thailand for quite a while. He retired there with his wife, seeking a lifestyle that was worlds away from the Los Angeles hustle.
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The fact that he passed away in Thailand often catches fans by surprise. You’d expect a classic Hollywood star to spend their final days in a Malibu ranch or a Beverly Hills suite. But Larry wasn't a "classic" star in that sense. He was a guy who did a job, did it well, and then decided he wanted something totally different.
Why He Left Hollywood Behind
You have to realize that Larry Simms didn't just "fail" to find work as an adult. He quit. After appearing in 27 Blondie movies between 1938 and 1950, he’d literally grown up on screen. He went from a four-year-old toddler to a sixteen-year-old teenager named Alexander.
Most kids would have been desperate to keep that fame going. Not Larry.
He famously said he wasn't particularly interested in the "craft" of acting. He was more fascinated by the technical side of things—the cameras, the lighting rigs, the way the sets were built. Basically, he was an engineer in a child actor’s body.
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- The Navy Years: Right after the Blondie series wrapped up, he joined the U.S. Navy.
- Engineering: He used his GI Bill or personal savings to study aeronautical engineering at California Polytechnic State University.
- JPL: He eventually landed a job at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena.
Think about that for a second. The kid who played Baby Dumpling ended up working on actual space-age technology. That’s a massive pivot that most people today don't even realize happened.
Clearing Up the Confusion
When you search for "Larry Simms," you’re going to run into a few different people. This is where the internet gets messy.
There was a Larry Sims (spelled with one 'm') who was a legendary bassist and singer for Loggins & Messina. He died in December 2014. Then there was a Larry Lee Simms, a high-profile lawyer and Navy veteran who passed away in 2020.
If you see reports saying Larry Simms died of cancer or "neurologic decline," they are almost certainly talking about one of these other men. The Blondie actor—our Larry Simms—definitely passed in 2009 in Thailand.
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A Life Lived on His Own Terms
Living in Thailand during his final years allowed Simms to maintain the privacy he clearly craved. There were no paparazzi following him around Chon Buri. He wasn't doing "where are they now" segments on late-night TV.
He died as a retired engineer, not a "former child star." There’s something incredibly respectable about that. He took the money he earned as a kid—reportedly around $750 a week at his peak, which was huge money in the 1940s—and used it to build a real, grounded life.
What We Can Learn From His Story
Larry Simms' life is kind of a blueprint for how to handle early fame. He didn't let the industry define him. He recognized that his interests lay in science and technical precision rather than performing.
If you’re looking to honor his memory, the best thing you can do is revisit those old Blondie films. They’re a window into a different era of filmmaking, and you can see that "dead-pan" style he was famous for.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Watch the Classics: Check out Blondie (1938) or Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) to see his range as a child performer.
- Verify the Spelling: Always double-check that you're looking at "Simms" with two m's when researching his filmography to avoid getting him mixed up with the musicians or lawyers of the same name.
- Appreciate the Pivot: Use his story as a reminder that it's never too late (or too early) to change careers and follow a passion that has nothing to do with your past.