The Office stars Rainn Wilson and Jenna Fischer lead tributes to ‘positive force’ Mark York after his death

The Office stars have paid tribute to Mark York, who played Billy Merchant on the show, after his death, describing him as a ‘positive force’.

The actor, who starred in early episodes of the NBC sitcom, died aged 55 at Miami Valley Hospital following a ‘brief and unexpected illness’.

Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute on the comedy, led the tributes to the late actor, writing on Twitter: ‘R.I.P. Mark York, AKA BILLY MERCHANT from The Office.

‘He was a terrific human, a positive force and a dynamic actor. You will be missed.’

Jenna Fischer, who starred as Pam Beesly, added: ‘Mark was a lovely man and a pleasure to work with. Very funny every time. Much love to his family.’

Meanwhile, Angela Kinsey, who played Angela Martin, went on to say: ‘Very sad to hear about Mark’s passing.

‘He was so talented and kind and will be missed. My thoughts are with his family. May he rest in peace.’

Fans have also remembered the late star, with one penning: ‘R.I.P Mark York. You will be missed. He was such a fun character on The Office. I give the family my condolences.’

Another added: ‘RIP Mark York. Was wonderful as Billy Merchant in the Office,’ while one more said: ‘RIP Mark York aka Billy Merchant :(.’

York was best known for starring in early episodes of the NBC sitcom alongside Steve Carell (Michael Scott).

His character was the owner of the office building in which the fictional paper company Dunder Mifflin was located.

In a season two episode, Michael injured his foot by stepping on a hot George Foreman Grill and decided to host a conference with the employees about disability, comparing his mild foot injury to Billy’s paralysis.

York’s death was announced in an obituary which read: ‘Even though he has been paraplegic since 1988, he had such an outgoing, uplifting, positive attitude and personality. He always tried to look at what he could accomplish and do, not what he couldn’t do. 

‘He had experienced many travel opportunities and many dreams for the future. In the past several years, he had been working as an inventor, and had obtained two patents for his inventions.’

‘Mark could quote so many lines from movies and tell you who particular actors were in most movies,’ it went on.

‘He was an avid sports fan, all sports, and especially liked the Cincinnati Reds, Ohio State football, and Kentucky Wildcats basketball.

‘Mark also loved coming home to his mum’s house and playing numerous table games with her and his brother Brian for hours on end. He was a competitive spirit that kept them laughing throughout their time together. He will be deeply missed by all the lives he has touched.’

MORE : The Office star Mark York dies aged 55 after ‘unexpected illness’