Frank Avruch, TV"s Bozo the Clown, Dies at 89

The world of television has lost a legend.

Don’t laugh.

We’re being serious.

Frank Avruch, a veteran television personality and entertainer who was the star of the popular children’s TV program Bozo the Clown, died on Tuesday after a lengthy battle with heart disease.

He was 89 years old.

“He had a heart of gold,” Stuart Hersh, Avruch’s manager, said in a statement to The Associated Press, adding:

“He brought the Bozo the Clown character to life better than anyone else’s portrayal of Bozo the Clown.”

Avruch played the legendary clown from 1959 through 1970.

He was the first to be nationally syndicated by way of the Boston-based program Bozo’s Big Top, which aired in New York, Los Angeles and Washington D.C., among other select markets across the nation.

The long-time actor was also a UNICEF ambassador, performing as this beloved character at events across the globe.

Avruch also served as a contributor to WCVB-TV for more than 40 years as a host of Man About Town and The Great Entertainment.

Hence the outpouring of sympathy and sadness from those in and around the Boston market in response to this unfortunate piece of news.

“LOVED Frank.  Channel 5’s Man about Town, Great entertainment. Best known as Bozo the Clown,” Tweeted anchor Maria Stephano this morning.

“By all accounts here @wcvb he was a kind wonderful man. RIP Frank and thanks.”

Avruch was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2007.

“He touched so many people with his portrayal,” Hersh added when talking to The Associated Press about his friend and client.

Avruch is survived by his wife Betty, two sons Matthew and Steven and several grandchildren.

The family said the following in a statement of its own today:

“While it’s hard to say goodbye, we celebrate the legacy of joy and laughter he brought to millions of children around the world as Bozo the Clown on TV and as a UNICEF Ambassador and later as host of Channel 5′s Great Entertainment and Boston’s Man About Town.

“Our dad loved the children of all ages who remembered being on his show and was always grateful for their kind words.

“We will miss him greatly.”

We send our thoughts to Avruch’s loved ones.

May he rest in peace.

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Adam West Dies; TV"s Batman Was 88

Adam West, star of the 1960s Batman TV series, has passed away at the age of 88.

The news of his death was confirmed this morning in a statement from the actor’s reps.

West reportedly passed peacefully in his sleep following a short battle with Leukemia.

“Our dad always saw himself as The Bright Knight, and aspired to make a positive impact on his fans’ lives. He was and always will be our hero,” his family said in statement issued moments ago.

While West’s depiction of both Batman and his alter-ego Bruce Wayne helped him achieve instant fame with the show’s debut in 1966, he would later find himself constrained and typecast by the role.

The show’s candy-colored graphics and campy storylines made it synonymous with a particularly dated brand of ’60s kitsch.

It was a tone from which West struggled to separate himself, but he would find the greatest success of his later years when he embraced his role at the clown prince of a bygone era.

Demonstrating a self-referential and self-deprecating sense of humor few actors are capable of, West turned in memorably tongue-in-cheek performances as various versions of himself on shows like The Big Bang Theory and Family Guy.

In the latter, he became a beloved series regular, portraying a deranged mayor of the fictional Quahog, whose name happened to also be Adam West.

West was sometimes critical of the darker version of Batman presented by directors Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan.

Asked about his conflicting feelings toward the character that limited his career and which later made him something of a punchline for more “serious” superhero fans, West explained that he always endeavored to find the lighter side of the Dark Knight:

“I decided that since so many people love Batman, I might as well love it too,” West said.

“Why not? So I began to reengage myself with Batman. And I saw the comedy. I saw the love people had for it, and I just embraced it.”

While many actors have portrayed Batman over the years, West’s take on the iconic figure was inarguable unique.

So it’s fitting that in his later years, fans embraced West as a gifted comic actor who offered a distinctive, era-defining take on one of pop culture’s most beloved characters.

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