Happy Days

Credit: Everett Collection

Tom Bosley Was a Wonderful Happy Days Dad, Says Ron Howard

Originally posted 10/19/2010 04:20PM

The death of Happy Days star Tom Bosley left many saddened – and director Ron Howard without his onscreen dad.

"Tom's insight, talent, strength of character and comic timing made him a vital central figure in the Happy Days experience," says Howard, who played Richie Cunningham on the sitcom.

"A great father and husband, and a wonderful artist, Tom led by example, and made us all laugh while he was doing it," Howard adds. "My last conversations with Tom reflected the love of life and peace of mind that he always maintained throughout his full and rewarding life."

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Filed Under: Tributes, Happy Days, Ron Howard, Tom Bosley

Credit: Tina Kaawaloa/INF

Happy Days Star Tom Bosley Dead at 83

Originally posted 10/19/2010 01:30PM

Tom Bosley, the folksy father of Richie Cunningham on the '70s sitcom about the '50s, ABC's Happy Days, died Tuesday in his Palm Springs, Calif., home. On Oct. 1, he had turned 83.

The actor died after a brief battle with lung cancer.

Before finding fame on the small screen, Bosley won a Tony for starring as the beloved New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in the Pulitzer-Prize-winning 1959 musical Fiorello!. He also made a memorable mark in the 1964 Peter Sellers cult comedy The World of Henry Orient, as the too-understanding husband of Angela Lansbury's character.

After Happy Days, he would frequently costar with Lansbury on her CBS series, Murder She Wrote.

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Filed Under: Death, Happy Days, Tom Bosley

Credit: ABC/Getty

UpdatePosted 10/19/2010 07:15AM

Scott Baio Recalls Happy Days with Tom Bosley

Originally posted 10/19/2010 07:15PM

Scott Baio grew up on the set of Happy Days, and now he is sharing his memories of Tom Bosley, the ultimate TV dad, who died Tuesday at age 83.

"He was always a father to us, both on screen, of course, and backstage. He was always giving us advice – little pieces of wisdom, whether it was about acting or finances or life in general," Baio, 50, who played The Fonz's cousin Chachi Arcola, tells PEOPLE. "He played that father part so well because that is who he was. I don't know what he was like at home, but in my mind and I think for the rest of us on Happy Days, there was very little distinction between Tom, the man, and Mr. C, the character.

"He was also an incredibly calm guy. He never got rattled. I think that was a really important aspect to Happy Days, where so many of us were so young. He was a very grounding influence on us.