Edd Byrnes 'Grease' Star Dead at 86
TMZ
1/9/2020
Edd Byrnes, who became famous acting in movies like
"Grease" and iconic TV shows like "77 Sunset Strip" is
dead.
Byrnes died unexpectedly Wednesday at his Santa Monica home of natural causes.
His career had a bunch of high points. Edd played Vince
Fontaine in "Grease," he was the host of the famous National
Bandstand dance-off.
As for "77 Sunset Strip" -- which ran from
1958-1964 -- it was one of the most popular shows on the boob tube. He became
the breakout star -- Kookie. For most of you who have never heard of the show,
he was as big as Luke Perry’s character in '90210' ... and not dissimilar.
Edd even scored a gold record for the hit with Connie
Stevens, "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)," which hit #4
in 1959 and spent 13 weeks on the Billboard chart. The character Kookie was
famous for combing his impressive locks with a comb.
Other credits include "Charlie's Angels," "Fantasy Island," "Married With
Children," "Murder, She Wrote," "Maverick," and, of
course -- where every star eventually landed -- "The Love Boat."
He leaves behind his son, Logan, an evening
news anchor in San Diego
and his longtime partner, Catherine Gross.
Edd was 87.
RIP
RIP
BYRNES, Edd (Edward
Byrne Breitenberger)
Born: 7/30/1933, New York City, New
York, U.S.A.
Died: 1/8/2020, Santa Monica, California,
U.S.A.
Edd Byrnes’
westerns – actor:
The Adventures of Jim Bowie (TV) – 1956, 1957 (Eli)
Cheyenne
(TV) – 1957 (Benji Danton, Clay Rafferty)
Maverick (TV) - 1957, 1960 (stableboy, Wes Fallon, The Kid)
Colt .45 (TV) – 1958 (Frank Wilson Jr.)
Lawman (TV) – 1958 (Joe Knox, Larry Hawks)
Sugarfoot (TV) – 1958 (Borden)
Yellowstone Kelly – 1959 (Anse
Harper)
Any Gun Can Play – 1967 (Clayton)
Payment in Blood – 1967 (Stuart)
Professionals for a Massacre – 1967 ('Chattanooga Jim')
The Silent Gun (TV) – 1969 (Joe Henning)
The Virginian (TV) – 1971 (Alex Newell)
Alias Smith and Jones (TV) – 1972 (Willard Riley)
Glad to see you back. I rely heavily on your amazing research.
ReplyDeleteNot sure how you find the demise of certain "obscure" people, but glad you do. Thanx from me and many others!!!!! Boyd Magers
Thanks for the kind words Boyd. I've always relied on 'Western Clippings' to keep me informed of our heroes passings especially the more obscure actors and actresses. As you know the research is difficult at times and now with fake news alerts and the media's ignoring people who have dropped out of the industry for decades I have to rely on a number of sources to try and keep track of them. Continued success and thanks for dropping bye. Tom
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