Howard Hesseman, who was known as Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati has reportedly passed away at the age of 81.
According to The Hollywood Report, Howard Hesseman passed away on Saturday (January 29th) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles. His death was due to complications from colon surgery he first had this past summer. His wife, actress, and acting teacher, Caroline Ducrocq, also confirmed this information with the media outlet.
Along with WKRP in Cincinnati, Hesseman was known for his role as an out-of-work actor turned history teacher, Charlie More, on Head of the Class. He eventually quit the series after four seasons to pursue a movie career. He also played the role of architect Sam Royer on One Day at a Time. His character married longtime divorcee Ann Romano (Bonnie Franklin).
Howard Hesseman also had small parts in The Andy Griffith Show, Dragnet 1967, Soap, and Sanford and Son. He was a frequent guest star on The Bob Newhart Show. He then appeared in films such as This is Spinal Tap, Doctor Detroit, Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, Clue, and Flight of the Navigator.
In 1980 and 1981, Howard Hesseman also received Emmy nominations for his work on WKRP in Cincinnati. The series ran from 1978 to 1982. It followed the misadventures of the staff of the struggling Top 40 rock station in Cincinnati, Ohio. Hesseman starred alongside Loni Anderson, Gary Sandy, Gordon Jump, Richard Sanders, and Frank Bonner. The show had 90 episodes.
Howard Hessman’s death comes less than a year after Bonner passed away from Lewy body dementia. He was 79 years old at the time of his death.
Howard Hesseman Previously Spoke About His Well-Known ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ Character
During a 1979 interview with The New York Times, Howard Hesseman spoke about his popular WKRP in Cinncinnati character, Dr. Johnny Fever. “I think maybe Johnny smokes a little marijuana, drinks beer and wine, and maybe a little liquor. And on one of those hard mornings at the station, height take what for many years was referred to as a diet pill. But [he] is a moderate user of soft drugs, specifically marijuana.”
Howard Hesseman then stated that the network is terrified about his character’s use of drugs. “But by no means am I advocating drug use. I understand he fears and I have a fair share of friends who are dead because of drugs, or close to it. I just think the fears are overblown.”
Also speaking about the show’s appeal, Howard Hesseman added, “None of us feel we’re doing Shakespeare or Strindberg, or anything. But we don’t feel we’re an 8 o’clock show. We’ve dealt with some sophisticated issues. Like the boss’ wife getting pregnant at the age of 47. And things like that can’t be too fascinating to young viewers.”
