Tim Conway kept our funny bones tickled pink
Beloved “Carol Burnett Show” comic famously cracked up his castmates – and his audiences. Appreciation
Tim Conway, a mainstay of “The Carol Burnett Show” in the 1970s, was remembered Tuesday by fans, friends and fellow comedians for making viewers and castmates alike weep with laughter over his deadpan delivery.
Conway died early Tuesday after a long illness, said his publicist, Howard Bragman. He was 85.
Conway’s celebrated career included acclaimed performances on such programs as Burnett’s variety show and “McHale’s Navy.” He won four Emmys for his work on “Burnett” and two more for guest appearances on “Coach” and “30 Rock.”
Conway is best known for his comic turns, often in partnership with comic actor Harvey Korman, on Burnett’s sketch comedy/variety show. The duo spent the rest of their careers often performing together until Korman’s death in 2008.
But they are best remembered for their 10 years on “Burnett,” when Korman hilariously struggled to contain his laughter at Conway’s antics, even in the middle of their skits.
In a statement relayed to USA TODAY by her representative, Steve Sauer, Burnett, 86, said she was “heartbroken” to hear of Conway’s death. “He was one in a million, not only as a brilliant comedian but as a loving human being. I cherish the times we had together both on the screen and off. He’ll be in my heart forever.”
Other celebrities, especially fellow comedians, paid tribute on social media. “RIP to Tim Conway who was always always always always funny!” tweeted comedian Larry Wilmore.
Conway’s daughter, Kelly, and five sons announced his death in a news release sent to USA TODAY by Kelly Conway’s publicist, Roger Neal.
“The love he gave us, and the laughter he gave the world will never be replaced,” Kelly Conway said. “He is at peace now, but I will miss him every second of every day.”
She said her father used to say, when he would hear the song “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” that he wanted that song played at his funeral.
Neal, who was Conway’s publicist for five years, added in a statement to USA TODAY that Conway was a joy to work with. “He was offscreen what the world saw onscreen,” Neal said. “We had so many laughs. … There will never be another one like him.”
Conway had declined into dementia in the last months of his life, leading to a legal struggle last year between Kelly Conway and his wife, Charlene Conway, over guardianship and who would decide his medical care and nursing facility.
That battle was settled in March when Charlene Conway was granted conservatorship over her husband.
Kelly Conway is one Conway’s children from his first marriage, to Mary Anne Dalton,
which ended in divorce in 1978. He married Charlene Conway in 1984.
Conway’s acting credits span six decades. He made a comic splash as Ensign Charles Parker on “McHale’s Navy,” the 1960s series about the wacky crew of a PT boat during World War II. After that, he was a regular guest star on dozens of TV comedy series and sitcoms until as recently as 2015.
He also voiced the role of Barnacle Boy for the hugely popular children’s series “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
He was born Thomas Conway in 1933 in the Cleveland suburb of Willoughby. He got his career start on local TV in Cleveland in the 1950s, performing comedy spots on a late-night movie show.
He was spotted by comedian/actress Rose Marie of “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” who got him an audition for “The Steve Allen Show,” where he became a regular in the early 1960s. Rose Marie died in 2017, but one of her children tweeted about Conway on the Rose Marie-Official Twitter account.
“So sad to hear about Tim Conway. ‘Discovering’ Tim and managing him for a time, was a source of tremendous pride for Mother. He was, after all, one of the funniest men on the planet!”