Actor Edd Byrnes who starred in 'Charlie's Angels' and 'Grease' dies at 86
Edd Byrnes, the former actor who appeared in the cult classic 'Grease' and 'Charlie's Angels' died at 86 on January 8.
The legendary actor played Vince Fontaine, the on-air personality at KZAZ radio and television. His Hollywood career spanned well over 40 years and his roles in '77 Sunset Strip' and 'Maverick' shot him to prominence.
The family issued a statement that read: "His is the story of an ambitious young kid who in his early 20s, drove out to Hollywood from New York City with a few hundred dollars and a dream of making it big in the entertainment business."
"It is with profound sadness and grief that I share with you the passing of my father Edd Byrnes," the younger Byrnes shared on Twitter. "He was an amazing man and one of my best friends."
Byrne was born in New York City in 1933 and married Asa Maynor in 1962. As reported by Comicbook, his son was born in 1965 and the marriage ended in 1971. Byrnes never remarried.
According to Variety, Byrnes published an autobiography 'Kookie No More' in 1996 that spoke in-depth about his long struggle with alcoholism. In addition to his son, Byrnes’ survivors include his ex-wife Asa Maynor and longtime companion Cathrine Gross. The actor's other credits include shows like 'Charlie's Angels', 'Fantasy Island', 'Married With Children', 'Murder', 'She Wrote,' 'Maverick' and 'The Love Boat.'
TMZ reported, 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.