Fred Willard has died.
The beloved comedy actor has died of pure causes.
He was 86.
“My father handed away very peacefully final night time on the improbable age of 86 years outdated,” his daughter, Hope, stated in a press release.
“He stored shifting, working and making us comfortable till the very finish. We cherished him so very a lot! We are going to miss him endlessly.”
The actor was in all probability finest identified for his many roles in Christopher Visitor’s movies, alongside Michael McKean, Catherine O’Hara, Harry Shearer, and Eugene Levy.
He performed an Air Drive colonel in This Is Spinal Faucet, journey agent/newbie actor Ron Albertson in Ready for Guffman, announcer Buck Laughlin in Greatest in Present, and the music supervisor Mike LaFontaine in A Mighty Wind.
“A fond farewell to Mr. Fred Willard,” actress Jamie Lee Curtis, whose husband, Christopher Visitor, has labored with Willard through the years, wrote in an Instagram tribute.
“How fortunate all of us are that we acquired to witness his nice items. Thanks for the deep stomach laughs. You are actually with Mary. House protected.”
Willard most just lately starred in ABC’s Trendy Household within the position of Frank.
The sequence, which has now wrapped, killed off Frank earlier this yr.
The position received Willard a lot reward, with the actor snagging an Emmy nomination for excellent visitor actor in a comedy sequence in 2010.
His different TV credit embody Again to You, The Daring and the Lovely, Mad About You, Roseanne, and Fernwood 2 Night time.
He’s additionally connected to play Steve Carell’s dad on the Netflix sequence Area Drive, which is slated to launch later this month.
“A four-time Emmy nominee radiated a novel appeal that established him as one in all our era’s most gifted comedian actors,” Willard’s rep wrote in a tribute by way of Rolling Stone.
“A grasp of sketch comedy, Fred was most heralded for his fast wit and improvisational experience, which he demonstrated in a whole bunch of appearances on stage, on the massive display, and on a variety of tv reveals.”
Willard’s passing comes lower than two years after his spouse Mary died at 71. They have been married since 1968 and shared one daughter collectively.
We lengthen our ideas and prayers to the household and mates of Fred Willard throughout this troublesome time.
Paul Dailly is the Affiliate Editor for TV Fanatic. Comply with him on Twitter.