Actor and comedian Tim Conway, best known for his work on “The Carol Burnett Show,” died on Tuesday morning in Los Angeles, according to his publicist.
Conway was 85.
He had been battling a longtime illness prior to his death, Howard Bragman, Conway’s representative, told . He was not suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, Bragman said.
Conway won three Emmys for co-starring in “The Carol Burnett Show,” which ran from 1967 to 1978, and a fourth as an individual from its writing team. He also briefly headlined his own variety series and co-starred in several Disney live-action comedies during the ’70s, such as “The Apple Dumpling Gang” and “The Shaggy D.A.”
Prior to at that point, he featured as blundering Ensign Charles Parker in the comedy “McHale’s Navy,” from 1962 to 1966.
In his later years, Conway did various guest appearances – winning extra Emmys for jobs in the sitcoms “Coach” and “30 Rock” – and voiceover work in animation, including “SpongeBob Squarepants.”
Conway’s improvisational tricks much of the time laughed uncontrollably his co-stars, first among them Harvey Korman.
Tim Conway, Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence in ‘The Carol Burnett Show’
“I’m heartbroken. He was one in a million, not only as a brilliant comedian but as a loving human being,” Burnett said about Conway in a statement to CNN. “I cherish the times we had together both on the screen and off. He’ll be in my heart forever.”
Burnett will devote a recently planned performance of her one-woman appear, “An “An Evening of Laughter and Reflection Where the Audience Asks Questions,” to Conway’s memory on Tuesday night in North Carolina.
Conway’s long-term partner, Vicki Lawrence, likewise paid tribute.
“Hysterical, crazy, bold, fearless, humble, kind, adorable… all synonyms for Tim Conway,” Lawrence said in a statement. “I am so lucky to ever have shared a stage with him. Harvey and Tim are together again…the angels are laughing out loud tonight.”
Conway was married twice, first to Mary Anne Dalton from 1961 to 1978; they had six children. He is survived by his wife of more than 30 years, Charlene Fusco.
The family has asked that instead of gifts, donations be made to the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health at the Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas.