Tim Conway, the agile comedian who was a core member of the "The Carol Burnett Show" troupe and starred in a string of Disney film comedies in the 1970s, died Tuesday morning in Los Angeles. He was 85.
A rep for Conway tells Variety he died from water on the brain.
Over his long career, Conway was nominated for 13 Emmys and won six. For "The Carol Burnett Show," he was nominated six times as a supporting performer in a variety or comedy series, winning in 1973, 1977 and 1978. He was also nominated as part of the writing staff for the show, drawing three nominations and winning in 1978. In addition to those four Emmy wins, he won in 1996 for outstanding guest actor in a comedy, "Coach," and in 2008 for guest actor in a comedy for "30 Rock."
"I'm heartbroken. He was one in a million, not only as a brilliant comedian but as a loving human being," said Burnett in a statement obtained by Variety. "I cherish the times we had together both on the screen and off. He'll be in my heart forever."
On "The Carol Burnett Show," Conway was so side-splittingly hilarious that he often caused co-star Harvey Korman to begin laughing in the middle of a skit. He was known for ad-libbing bits that would challenge Korman and other co-stars including Vicki Lawrence and Lyle Waggoner.