Rip Taylor, the confetti-tossing actor and comedian, died on Sunday, his publicist Harlan Boll said. He was 84.
Taylor was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in the intensive care unit after suffering a seizure last week, Boll said.
He was born Charles Elmer Taylor in Washington, D.C., according to Boll. Taylor served in the Korean War and began entertaining then, according to Boll.
Taylor’s signature became wacky costumes and props, a handlebar mustache and his confetti tosses during the 1970s, according to IMDb. He was a frequent guest on game shows of that era, including the “Gong Show.”
Taylor acted on Broadway, film and television, and was known for his over-the-top personality.
“He lived up to his reputation,” Boll told CNN in an interview. “He was called the ‘Prince of Pandemonium.'”
“Rest n Peace Mr. Taylor. Loved you, grew up watching you. Thank you for all the laughter you brought me,” comedian David Alan Grier posted on Twitter.
Taylor’s voice was heard on animated films, including “DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp,” “Tom and Jerry: The Movie,” and “Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico,” according to IMDb.
Taylor was nominated for an Emmy Award for voice of Uncle Fester in the TV cartoon series,” The Addams Family,” according IMDb.
“The greatest joy he had in life was the result of making others laugh. He didn’t have an easy childhood,” Boll said. ” Abused and bullied, he said he discovered early, that they weren’t hitting you if they were laughing.
Taylor is survived by longtime partner, Robert Fortney, according to Boll.
