Send in the clowns :(

Send in the clowns :(

Bozo The Clown, Larry Harmon, Dies At 83:

Larry Harmon, the man who brought the character of Bozo the Clown to life, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 83.

Harmon was not the original Bozo the Clown, but he was certainly the one who made him fanous. Harmon used his business sense to licence the character to others, including various local outlets, so they could have their own Bozo the Clown. That led to a popularity seen by few other characters of the time.

His wife, Susan, says Larry was the perfect fit for the character: "He was the most optimistic man I ever met. He always saw a bright side. He always had something good to say about everybody. He was the love of my life."

"Bozo is a star, an entertainer, bigger than life," Harmon said in an interview before his death. "People see him as Mr. Bozo, somebody you can relate to, touch and laugh with." He is survived by his wife, son, and four daughters.

We should also mention, Pinto Colvig was the first Bozo the Clown. Created as a character in 1946 by Alan W. Livingston for children's storytelling record-album and read-along book, Colvig portrayed the character for a decade. However, Livingston sold the character to Harmon around 1956 and Colvig went along to make a name for himself as the voice for Disney's Goofy.

-thenewsvault.com