Who’s Still Alive From ‘Welcome Back, Kotter’?

It is hard to believe that Welcome Back, Kotter, the hit ABC sitcom that debuted on September 9, 1975, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The series ran from 1975 to 1979 and followed Gabe Kotter (Gabe Kaplan), a former “Sweathog” who returned to his Brooklyn high school to teach a lovable group of underachievers that included Vinnie Barbarino (John Travolta), Freddie “Boom Boom” Washington (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs), Juan Epstein (Robert Hegyes) and Arnold Horshack (Ron Palilo). The show’s mix of humor and touching moments made it one of the most popular comedies of the ’70s and launched the careers of several cast members — but which of them are still with us?