Actor Collapses On Picket Line, Dies

A 38-year-old commercial actor died over the weekend after collapsing during a demonstration supporting the four-month strike by actors against the advertising industry.

William Ray Embry collapsed on Saturday while standing in a picket line outside a nonunion shoot for Sony Playstation, Screen Actors Guild officials said Monday.

Embry was conscious when rescue crews arrived and gave the crowd a thumbs-up sign as he was taken into the ambulence. He was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where he died that evening, according to SAG.

"I'm terribly saddened by something like this happening during a strike action," SAG President William Daniels said.

Nearly 100 actors participated in the Saturday protest which included such high-profile performers as Michael J. Fox and Golden Girls actress Estelle Getty.

About 135,000 members of SAG and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists went on strike May 1 over pay for radio and television commercials. The actors are seeking "pay-per-play" residuals for both network and cable TV ads, while advertisers want to pay flat fees for both.