‘Happy Days’ Father, Tom Bosley, Dies of Heart Failure at 83

Actor Tom Bosley, who is best known for his portrayal of Howard “Mr. C” Cunningham on ABC’s classic television sitcom Happy Days, died at 4 a.m. ET Tuesday of heart failure, MSNBC reports. Those close to the late actor have revealed that he had been battling lung cancer at the time of his death.

Bosley’s character on Happy Days, which ran for 11 seasons from 1974-1984, was voted No. 9 on TV Guide’s 2004 list of the “50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time.” After Happy Days went off the air, he played a recurring role in CBS’ mystery series Murder, She Wrote.

“Since day one of Happy Days, we as a cast have remained so wonderfully connected,” Henry Winkler, who played the iconic character of Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli in the sitcom, told Access Hollywood in response to the tragic news. “He was our TV dad and a real life father-figure for the past 33 years.”

“He will be sorely missed,” Winkler continued. “And our most positive thoughts go out to the family.”

Long before Bosley’s rise to prominence on the small screen during the 1970s, he won a Tony Award for his portrayal of title character Fiorello La Guardia in 1960’s Fiorello!

Tom Bosley is survived by his wife, Patricia Carr, and his daughter, Amy.