BOZO THE CLOWN passed away at the age of 89. Or technically, one of the main guys who PLAYED him has died. FRANK AVRUCH played Bozo from 1959 to 1970. He passed away on Tuesday from heart disease.
Bozo was originally played by Pinto Colvig in the 1940s.
Then a guy named Larry Harmon bought the rights, and basically turned Bozo into a franchise.
Dozens of TV stations around the country did their own shows, and hired various actors to play Bozo.
Frank played him on the show "Bozo's Big Top", and it was the first nationally syndicated version of Bozo people saw on TV. He was also a contributor to WCVB in Boston for 40 years, and hosted several shows for them.
Bozo was also played by Willard Scott from 1959 to 1962 . . . Bob Bell from 1960 to 1984 . . . and Joey D'Auria from 1984 to 2001.