A father mistakenly declared dead after going missing eight years ago has been reunited with his family after his son spotted him on British television, police said.

For the past decade, Robert P. Schwartz has required attendance at his birthday parties on the first weekend in August. Otherwise his family wouldn’t get any inheritance from him. But here’s the kicker: The guy is dead.

Cast and crew of both Stargate series, along with millions of fans worldwide, were shocked to learn of the passing of veteran actor Don S. Davis earlier this summer. The man who brought to life the ‘Stargate SG-1′ character of “General George Hammond” clearly had an effect on the people who met him.

Hayes’ score for “Shaft,” which won two Grammys and the Oscar for song, opened the doors for black songwriters in Hollywood. In later years the musician provided the voice for the popular character “Chef” on the animated comedy “South Park” and also guest-starred in MGM’s sci-fi series “Stargate: SG-1″.

The award-winning comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body’s organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.