Kevin DiCiccio, the man who owned Buddy — star of the popular “Air Bud” movies — and helped create the film series is in dire straits … he’s homeless, about to be kicked out of the shelter where he’s staying.
TMZ spoke to DiCiccio Saturday … who tells us he’s staying at a shelter down in San Diego, but his 90-day limit is coming to an end soon — and, he has no idea where he’ll go from here. It’s the end of the line … and, he’s terrified.
Kevin — who found future dog actor Buddy near his Yosemite cabin and took him in back in the day — explains his next step seems to be living on the street … complicated by the major health issue with which he is dealing.
The way Kevin tells it … despite helping to create “Air Bud” — he’s credited on 11 of the films as the character’s creator — he never received much monetary compensation for the massively popular movies under the Disney banner.
KD explains earnestly he went bankrupt and spiraled into a period of depression. He adds he used medical marijuana for a time — which he believes led to him developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. Kevin denies ever using any other drugs.
According to the Mayo Clinic, COPD is an ongoing lung condition caused by damage to the lungs. Swelling and inflammation of the lungs restricts airflow, making it hard to breathe.
After years of therapy, Kevin says he was able to manage his depression and even got a job managing a property in 2020 … though the COVID-19 pandemic put him out of work.
Kevin says his COPD forces him to use oxygen … and the only reason the shelter hasn’t already asked him to leave is because he needs power for his oxygen concentrator. But time is running out.
Kevin can’t stay much longer … and it’s unclear how KD will be able to use the concentrator without electricity. Kevin’s friends have organized a GoFundMe for him … which has raised about $3k of its $200k goal at the time of this writing.
Kevin says he didn’t want to ask for help in this way … but, he’s running out of options — and he’s swallowing his pride in hope “Air Bud” superfans will lend a helping hand, or paw, to someone who helped bring them joy all those years ago.