Edd Byrnes, who became famous acting in movies like “Grease” and iconic TV shows like “77 Sunset Strip” is dead.
Byrnes died unexpectedly Wednesday at his Santa Monica home of natural causes.
His career had a bunch of high points. Edd played Vince Fontaine in “Grease,” he was the host of the famous National Bandstand dance-off.
As for “77 Sunset Strip” — which ran from 1958-1964 — it was one of the most popular shows on the boob tube. He became the breakout star — Kookie. For most of you who have never heard of the show, he was as big as Luke Perry‘s character in ‘90210’ … and not dissimilar.
Edd even scored a gold record for the hit with Connie Stevens, “Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb),” which hit #4 in 1959 and spent 13 weeks on the Billboard chart. The character Kookie was famous for combing his impressive locks with a comb.
Other credits include “Charlie’s Angels,” “Fantasy Island,” “Married With Children,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Maverick,” and, of course — where every star eventually landed — “The Love Boat.”
He leaves behind his son, Logan, an evening news anchor in San Diego and his longtime partner, Catherine Gross.
Edd was 87. RIP
–
