Arte Johnson, the
Emmy Award-winning star of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, has died at the age of 90, a spokesperson told the New York Times.
Publicist Harlan Boll told the publication Arte Johnson had been suffering from bladder and prostate cancer. He said Johnson had died earlier today. Express.co.uk has contacted a Boll asking for comment. The comedian and actor was best known for playing a cast of characters in comedy duo Dan Rowan and Dick Martin’s hit series Laugh-In. Johnson will be remembered for his German soldier with the iconic catchphrase: “Verrry interesting.”(sic)
Wolfgang famously thought World War II was still in progress.
Johnson’s part in Laugh-In earned him an Emmy Award and two subsequent nominations.
He appeared on the show from when it first aired on NBC in 1968 until the penultimate season.
During that time, his roles incorporated an abundance of different accents and personalities.
Back in 2013, Johnson told the New York Times his aptitude for accents came from being on public transport during his youth in Chicago.
“Chicago is made up of many ethnic islands and people would be sitting around me and talking in their various ethnic dialects,” he told the publication.
“To me it was like music.”
He got his start in acting when he moved to New York as a young man, his first part being an uncredited one in a Broadway production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
In the 1970s, after finding success on Laugh-In, he made appearances in the likes of General Hospital, Baggypants and the Nitwits and comedy vampire spoof Love at First Bite.
In recent years, Johnson did voice acting work, including a part in Justice League Unlimited.
In 1968, the actor tied the knot with Gisela Busch.
Johnson is survived by Busch and his brother, comedy writer Coslough Johnson, who also won an Emmy for Laugh-In.
Following the news of his death, fans flooded to Twitter to pay tribute to the actor, with one sharing a GIF of his “Verrry interesting” and saying: “He is perhaps best known for these two words! But #ArteJohnson was a superb talent with great comedic timing.
“As a little kid, I loved those little snippets on Laugh-In.”
American actor Jon Cryer, 54, tweeted: “So grateful that I got to enjoy the comedy of Arte Johnson. He was the catchphrase king of my youth.”
Johnson’s former Laugh-In co-star Ruth Buzzi, 82, also paid her respects, saying: “Thank you for a wonderful half-century of friendship.
“I could not have shared the spotlight with a nicer guy,” she continued.
“Rest in peace. And yes, Arte Johnson, I believe in the hereafter…”