Fred Willard, an American actor and comedian, has passed away two years after Mary, his wife of 40 years, died.
Jamie Lee Curtis, wife of Willard’s longtime director Christopher Guest, took to her Twitter page to break the sad news.
“How lucky that we all got to enjoy Fred Willard’s gifts,” Curtis tweeted. “He is with his missed Mary now. Thanks for the deep belly laughs Mr. Willard.”
Glenn Schwartz, Willard’s rep confirmed his death to Rolling Stone. He also stated that the 86-year-old passed away from “natural causes.”
“A four-time Emmy nominee radiated a unique charm that established him as one of our generation’s most gifted comic actors,” Willard’s rep wrote in a tribute.
“A master of sketch comedy, Fred was most heralded for his quick wit and improvisational expertise; which he demonstrated in hundreds of appearances on stage, on the big scree; and on a wide range of television shows.”
Hope Mulbarger, Willard’s daughter said in a statement:
“My father passed away very peacefully last night (Friday) at the fantastic age of 86 years old. He kept moving, working and making us happy until the very end. We loved him so very much! We will miss him forever.”
Steve Carell, Willard’s castmate in Anchorman and Space Force, tweeted Saturday, “Fred Willard was the funniest person that I’ve ever worked with. He was a sweet, wonderful man.”
About Fred Willard
Fred Willard is best known for his roles in movies including Best in Show and This is Spinal Tap and TV sitcoms Everybody Loves Raymond and Modern Family,
His work in Guest’s comedies include- Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, For Your Consideration and A Mighty Wind — as well as scene-stealing moments in This Is Spinal Tap, Anchorman, Austin Powers and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.
With hundreds of credits over an acting career that spanned over 50 years, he will appear posthumously in the upcoming Netflix satirical series Space Force.
