Grease and Kookie actor Edd Byrnes dies, aged 87
10 January 2020, 10:04
Grease actor Edd Byrnes has died at the age of 87, it has been confirmed.
The Hollywood actor died at his home in Santa Monica on Thursday (January 9) of natural causes, according to TMZ.
Byrnes's son Logan, who is an evening news presenter in San Diego, confirmed the news on Twitter, paying tribute to his father.
"It is with profound sadness and grief that I share with you the passing of my father Edd Byrnes," he wrote.
"He was an amazing man and one of my best friends."
Best known to audiences around the world in 1978’s Grease, Edd starred alongside John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as Vince Fontaine, host of the National Bandstand dance-off.
He was also known for starring in cop drama 77 Sunset Strip, which ran from 1958 to 1964, as the classic character Kookie.
The TV series was so successful that he landed a hit single with the track 'Kookie Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)' in 1959.
Edd Byrnes & Connie Stevens "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb"
Other acting appearances included Charlie’s Angels, Murder She Wrote, Married With Children, Maverick and Love Boat.
Talking about his famous role in Grease, Byrnes once said: "I played Vince Fontaine, the host of National Bandstand but, Dick Clark couldn’t have done it as well as I did."
