Beloved Comedian Tim Conway Died at 85

Beloved comedian Tim Conway, famous for his deadpan comedic style on “The Carol Burnett Show,” passed away today at the age of 85 after a long illness.

A Star on The Carol Burnett Show

Known for his work on “The Carol Burnett Show,” Conway cemented himself in the public eye and hearts of fans. He was so funny during his run that he frequently made co-star Harvey Korman break composure. While he portrayed numerous characters, his most famous were called the Old Man and Mr. Tudball, which Conway brought to life with his witty and fast paced ad-lib. Watch a classic scene featuring the Old Man and Harvey Korman. As usual Korman cracks up just like the audience at Conway’s slow, drawling manner of speaking.

A Long Career

Tim Conway first started his career in the World War II-era show “McHale’s Navy.” He starred in 138 episodes (1962-1966), for which he would receive his first Emmy nomination in 1963. He first appeared on “The Carol Burnett Show” in one episode in 1967. However, he became a full-time cast member in 1975. He won two more Emmy awards for his more recent guest roles on “Coach” and “30 Rock.”

Outside of comedic TV, Conway partnered with Disney to produce a run of family movies starting in 1973 with The World’s Greatest Athlete, then 1975’s The Apple Dumpling Gang, and the 1979 sequel. In his later years he voiced characters in “SpongeBob SquarePants” and in the Air Buddies franchise.

Greatly Missed

Roger Neal, Conway’s longtime publicist, told USA TODAY that he was a complete joy to work with.

“He was off screen what the world saw on screen, Neal said. “We had so many laughs… what a pure joy to have had the privilege of working with one of the true masters of comedy… there will never be another one like him.”

Friends, co-workers, and celebrities took to Twitter to pay their respects to the comedic legend.

Carol Burnett Remembers Tim Conway: “He’ll Be In My Heart Forever” https://t.co/3STLU9Mlps pic.twitter.com/DcFmzzhz2D

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 14, 2019

We are sad to learn Tim Conway, the legendary voice of Barnacle Boy, has passed away. Thank you for everything you contributed to Bikini Bottom pic.twitter.com/gQxFuqun1H

— SpongeBob (@SpongeBob) May 14, 2019

The amount of joy Tim Conway brought my family as a child was immeasurable. The man was pure comedy. Riotously funny. I finally got to see him work when he guest starred on The Larry Sanders show and he was all I dreamed he would be. As kind as he was funny. He will be missed. https://t.co/69NkVC6TwZ

— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) May 14, 2019

After a long battle with health scares, Conway passed away peacefully this morning. He had declined into dementia in the last couple months which saw his wife and daughter take each other to court over his continued medical care.

It is a tragedy to see Tim Conway go. He is survived by his second wife, Charlene, and his seven children.

Watch Conway in one of his classic scenes, How Not To Pick Up A Girl.