Fred Willard, the comedic actor and improv legend died Friday night in his sleep. His daughter, Hope Mulbarger said, “He kept moving, working and making us happy until the end. We loved him so very much. We will miss him forever.
Willard’s career spanned for decades with stage, TV and film appearances, even before his success in “Modern Family.”
His TV roles garnered four Emmy nominations. He was nominated three times for his guest role on “Everybody Loves Raymond” and once for his role as Phil Dunphy’s father Frank on “Modern Family,”
Willard also starred opposite Steve Carell in the upcoming Netflix series “Space Force,” which is set to begin streaming May 29. Carell tweeted “Fred Willard was the funniest person that I’ve ever worked with. He was a sweet and wonderful man.
Jamie Lee Curtis wrote on Instagram, “A fond farewell to Mr. Fred Willard. How lucky we all are that we got to witness his great gifts. Thank you for the deep belly laughs. You are now with Mary. Home safe.” Mary was Willard’s wife of 50 years, who died in July 2018.
