John Heard, the film, television and stage actor, was found dead on Friday in Palo Alto, California. He was 72.

The actor had "minor back surgery" on Wednesday at Stanford Medical Center, according to TMZ, which reported that he was staying at a nearby hotel to recover. "Heard was found dead in a hotel by the maid service ... according to family sources. Police were called to the hotel for a report of a medical emergency, but he was pronounced dead on the scene." TMZ reports.

"Heard is survived by three children, Max, Annika and John," according to the Daily News. His son, John, with actress Melissa Leo, was at the center of a bitter 10-year custody fight which included Heard's arrest for slapping Leo in front of NYC police officers and being convicted of trespassing and telephone misuse.

Heard starred in dozens of TV shows and films like Big and The Trip to Bountiful. He was best known for his role as one of Kevin McAllister's forgetful parents in the Home Alone films and earned an Emmy nomination when he guest-starred as Detective Vin Makazian on The Sopranos.

He also appeared on Prison Break, NCIS and Elementary.

The San Jose Mercury News reports that the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the cause of death, which is not immediately apparent. A call to the ME's office for further information was not returned as of publication time.