Longtime TV personality and children's entertainer Frank Avruch, best known for playing Bozo the Clown, is dead at age 89.

WCVB-TV reports Avruch died Tuesday at his home in Boston from heart disease. He is survived by his wife, Betty, two sons and several grandchildren.



Avruch portrayed Bozo the Clown from 1959 to 1970 and was the first to play the nationally syndicated version of the character in the '60s. The clown character, also played by Bob Bell, Larry Harmon, and Joey D'Auria, grew in popularity during Avruch's run thanks to widespread franchising in television.

Source: AP via Syracuse.Com