LOS ANGELES (AP) — For many, Jack Klugman will always be the messy one.
His portrayal of sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison on TV’s The Odd Couple” left viewers laughing but it also gave Klugman the leverage to create a more serious character, the gruff medical examiner in “Quincy M.E.” His everyman ethos and comic timing endeared him to audiences and led to a prolific, six-decade acting career that spanned stage, screen and television.
Klugman died yesterday at age 90 in suburban Northridge with his wife at his side. His sons called on his fans to embrace their father’s tenacious and positive spirit.
“He had a great life and he enjoyed every moment of it, and he would encourage others to do the same,” son Adam Klugman said.
The cause of Klugman’s death was not immediately known. Adam Klugman said his father had been slowing down in recent years, but wasn’t battling cancer, which robbed him of his voice in the 1980s. Klugman taught himself to speak again, and kept working.
He remained popular for decades simply by playing the type of man you could imagine running into at a bar or riding on a subway with — gruff, but down-to-earth, his tie stained and a little loose, a racing form under his arm, a cigar in hand during the days when smoking was permitted.
Off-screen, Klugman owned racehorses and enjoyed gambling, although acting remained his passion.
