Fred Willard, actor and comedian known for his appearances in "Modern Family" and "
Everybody Loves Raymond
", has died. He was 86.
According to reports, Willard died on Friday night at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes. Willard's daughter, Hope Mulbarger, said the actor died "very peacefully".
"It is with a heavy heart that I share the news my father passed away very peacefully last night at the fantastic age of 86 years old. He kept moving, working and making us happy until the very end. We loved him so very much! We will miss him forever," his daughter said.
Willard has a role in the upcoming comedy series "Space Force" opposite
Steve Carell.
Willard was married for 50 years to
Mary Willard
. She died in 2018 at the age of 71.
After getting his start in sketch comedy, Willard went on to appear in many movies and television series for decades, almost always in small but memorable roles.
Willard was nominated four times for Emmy Awards, three of them for his role of Hank on "Everybody Loves Raymond" and the fourth in 2010 for his recurring role as
Frank Dunphy
, the father of Ty Burrell's
Phil Dunphy
, on "Modern Family". Earlier this year, Willard's character got a loving sendoff in the final season of "Modern Family" with an episode that revealed his death.
Willard's other credits include projects as "Anchorman", "WALL-E" and "The Bold and the Beautiful".