Paul Edward Lynde

 Paul Edward Lynde (June 13, 1926 – January 10, 1982)

He was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched, and Harry MacAfee in Bye Bye Birdie (both the stage musical and the film-version). He was also the regular "center square" guest on the game show Hollywood Squares from 1968 to 1981 and the voice of Templeton in the Hanna-Barbera productions Charlotte's Web and The Hooded Claw in The Perils of Penelope Pitstop. Although he was voted America’s favorite comedian in a 1974 poll and highly sought out for every manner of TV game and variety show, it was the failure of his two series (The Paul Lynde Show and Temperatures Rising) that reportedly exacerbated Lynde’s drinking problem, leading to numerous run-ins with the law and frequent arrests for public intoxication. However, Lynde became sober and drug-free in early 1980. At this time, Hollywood Squares was experiencing a downward trend in ratings. Lynde did not want to return, but changed his mind when he received co-star billing with host Peter Marshall. He returned to the series in the spring of that year and remained with the show until its cancellation in February 1981. On January 11, 1982, after Lynde had failed to attend a birthday celebration, his friend Paul Barresi became concerned. When he and another friend, actor Dean Ditman, could not get an answer on the phone or from knocking on his door, Barresi broke into the side entrance to Lynde's home in Beverly Hills, California, where he was found dead in his bed. The coroner ruled the death a heart attack. Lynde's cremated remains are interred at Amity Cemetery, in Amity, Ohio, next to those of his brother Johnny and sister Helen.