The Degrassi Junior High star Neil Hope, who played Derek "Wheels" Wheeler on the popular 1980s TV series, died in near-anonymity over four years ago, his family has confirmed after lengthy attempts to track him down.

Hope had little contact with relatives and friends in his final years, and died alone in an Ontario rooming house in 2007, his ex-fiance Christina Boulard said on Friday.

Hope's family spent years trying to track him down after hearing rumours of his death several years ago but only had it confirmed last month by police in Hamilton, Ontario.

Boulard said the former star of Canada's groundbreaking Degrassi series died on 25 November 2007 of "natural causes" at the age of 35 but declined to elaborate, only saying Hope was diabetic.

Boulard, who last saw Hope in 2002, said it was not unusual for him to cut ties with friends and family for sometimes a year at a time.

"Neil was a very private person. He didn't have the best life, there were times when he would go a while without seeing or talking to his family," Boulard said.

She said she was angry police took so long to tell his relatives. He was said not to have listed a next of kin in any official documents but she doubted that was true. "He deserved better and so did his family," Boulard said.

Hamilton police Sergeant Terri-Lynn Collings said the force did not comment on "sudden death investigations where there's no suspicion of any foul play".

A spokeswoman for the Ontario chief coroner said a next-of-kin search should or would have been conducted before Hope was buried as an unclaimed person.

Hope was one of Degrassi's earliest stars, appearing as Griff on the first installment, The Kids of Degrassi Street, in 1979.

On the later Degrassi Junior Highhe portrayed the troubled character Derek Wheeler, known as "Wheels", who struggled with alcoholism. The actor was candid about his own difficult childhood growing up with alcoholic parents.

Degrassi Junior High was acclaimed for its realistic portrayal of topics such as drug use, child abuse, teen pregnancy, homophobia, racism and divorce. The show followed the lives of teens who eventually graduated to Degrassi High, another incarnation of the show.

Hope guest-starred on Degrassi: The Next Generation in 2001 and 2003 but details of his final years were scarce. The Degrassi series has won two International Emmy awards and two Teen Choice awards, among others.

Facebook members who said they were relatives of Hope first posted a notice of Hope's death last month, but online reports of his death only began circulating on Thursday morning.

Twitter was abuzz with tributes as word of his death spread. A memorial page from a fan in Israel featured photos of Hope and a guest book for other fans to share condolences.

Film director Kevin Smith, a longtime Degrassi fan who appeared on the show as a guest star, tweeted that Hope "will be missed". Degrassi Junior High creator Linda Schuyler said she was "terribly saddened to hear the news".

"Neil made an important contribution to our lives, to the lives of our television team who are like a family to us and indeed to the lives of the many Canadians and others around the world who were influenced by Neil and the roles he played, starting from the early days of The Kids of Degrassi Street," Schuyler said in a joint statement with executive producer Stephen Stohn.

"His life was not an easy one but the time he spent with us was a shining example of determination, hard work and hopeful optimism and he is sorely missed."

Boulard is planning a private memorial in June for Hope's old Degrassi colleagues and close friends.