In this April 26, 1986 file photo, Carol Burnett, left, and veteran comrade in comedy Tim Conway laugh during a gala birthday party for Burnett in Los Angeles. Conway, the impish second banana to Burnett who won four Emmy Awards on her TV variety show, starred aboard McHale s Navy and later created a very short character named Dorf, has died. He was 85. Conway died Tuesday morning, May 14, 2019, in a Los Angeles care facility after a long illness, according to Howard Bragman, who heads LaBrea Media. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)NEW YORK (AP) – Tim Conway, the impish second banana to Carol Burnett who won four Emmy Awards on her TV variety show, starred aboard “McHale’s Navy” and later voiced the role of Barnacle Boy for “Spongebob Squarepants,” has died. He was 85.
Conway died Tuesday morning in a Los Angeles care facility, according to Howard Bragman, who heads LaBrea Media. Conway’s wife, Charlene Fusco, and a daughter, Jackie, were at his side. The cause was a disorder in which there is an excess of fluid on the brain, Bragman said.
Burnett said in a statement Tuesday that she was heartbroken. “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.”
Tributes also came from across the comedy world, including from Conan O’Brien, who said “no one made me laugh harder than Tim Conway” and Kathy Griffin, who called him “a wildly talented, comedy giant.” Al Roker tweeted out a link to Conway playing a hysterically incompetent dentist.
A native of Ohio, Conway credited his Midwestern roots for putting him on the right path to laughs, with his deadpan expression and innocent, simple-minded demeanor.