Howard Hesseman passed away yesterday at the age of 81 due to complications from colon surgery he had last year, according to what his wife told The Hollywood Reporter.
Hesseman spent 50 years in front of the camera. During the first 10 years, he was working non-stop and had several smaller roles. However, in 1978, he was given his big break when he was cast as the Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati. He played the laid-back hippie DJ who loved playing the likes of Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd.
After that show ended, he got married to Anne Romano on One Day at a Time. Then he spent the next few years starring in some films like Police Academy 2: The First Assignment, Clue, and Heat. But in 1986, he returned to the small screen to star as a teacher to smart kids in Head of the Class. When he left that show, he returned to his musical roots in The New WKRP in Cincinnati. From that time on, he kept on working in movies and television shows until 2018.
Everything about him was memorable, so you always knew it was him when he appeared on the screen. So today, let’s light a joint and watch Hesseman in one of many, many roles. And let’s laugh with him so that our laughter will escort him up to heaven.
