Tim Conway dies: The Carol Burnett Show star was 85

The New York Times

The beloved TV funnyman passed away this morning. Last fall, Conway made headlines when his family fought over his care following brain surgery. The Carol Burnett Show star had a "gallery of innocent goofballs, stammering bystanders, transparent connivers, oblivious knuckleheads and hapless bumblers (that) populated television comedy and variety shows for more than half a century," says Bruce Weber, adding: "With a sweetly cherubic face, a deceptively athletic physicality and an utter devotion to foolishness and slapstick, Mr. Conway was among Hollywood’s most enduringly popular clowns. The winner of six Emmy Awards and a member of the Television Academy Hall of Fame, he was a leading non-leading man, a vivid second banana whose deferential mien and skill as a collaborator made him most comfortable — and often funniest — in the shadow of a star." Conway also starred on McHale's Navy from 1962 to 1966 and voiced Barnacle Boy on SpongeBob SquarePants. He also helmed two iterations of CBS' The Tim Conway Show -- one in 1970 and another in 1980. Conway won four of his Emmys for The Carol Burnett Show. He later won guest actor Emmys for Coach and 30 Rock. "The love he gave us, and the laughter he gave the world will never be replaced but will be remembered forever," his daughter, Kelly Conway, said in a statement. "He is at peace now but I will miss him every second of every day until we meet again in heaven. We knew he would have to leave us someday but that day came too soon."

ALSO:

• Carol Burnett pays tribute to Tim Conway: “I’m heartbroken,” she said in a statement. “He was one in a million, not only as a brilliant comedian but as a loving human being. I cherish the times we had together both on the screen and off. He’ll be in my heart forever.”
• Watch Conway's seven wackiest sketches
• Conan O'Brien, Judd Apatow, Rhea Seehorn, Kathy Griffin, Larry Wilmore and more tweet tributes to Conway