Best in Show and Modern Family star Fred Willard passed away on March 15 at the age of 86, his agent confirmed.
The actor’s daughter, Hope, expressed in a statement: “My father passed away very peacefully last night 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.”
The 86-year-old was set to appear in Netflix’s Space Force. His agent, Michael Eisenstadt, said that this will be Willard’s first posthumous role.
“Fred was one of the busiest comedic actors in a career which lasted over 50 years. He had recently completed his Emmy nominated recurring role on Modern Family and can be seen later this month in his recurring role as Steve Carrell’s dad in the Netflix series Space Force,” he said.
“Jimmy Kimmel had Fred recur on his show on an average of every two weeks doing comedic sketches until the stay at home order began. Fred truly enjoyed each role and gave each performance his own special spin. He was truly a comedic genius.”
The Comic actor had over 300 acting credits to his name. He was best known for his roles in US sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, WALL-E, and Anchorman movies.
Willard rose to fame in the late 70s for his incredible performance as host Jerry Hubbard in Fern 2 Night, Forever Fernwood, and Fernwood 2 Night.
Actor Chris O’Dowd paid tribute to the late Comic star and wrote: “Among many things, Fred Willard taught me not to be afraid to turn up to a scene with your own joke props. Or indeed material. What an incredibly funny man. Rest well Fred.”
Michael McKean also wrote: “I’m at a loss for words, a state Fred Willard never found himself in. My friend for 40+ years, a great comic actor who had no competition because there was only one of him. We were all so lucky. Goodbye, Fred.”
What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends and follow us on Facebook for more news and stories!
Replaced!