'Happy Days' actor Tom Bosley dies aged 83

ACTOR Tom Bosley, whose long career was highlighted by his hugely popular role as the understanding father on television's top-rated 1970s comedy series Happy Days, has died aged 83.

Bosley died of heart failure at a hospital near his Palm Springs, California, home yesterday. His agent, Sheryl Abrams, said he had been battling lung cancer.

TV Guide ranked Bosley's Happy Days character, Howard Cunningham, at No 9 on its list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" in 2004. The show debuted in 1974 and ran for 11 seasons.

"Tom's insight, talent, strength of character and comic timing made him a vital central figure in the Happy Days experience. A great father and husband, and a wonderful artist, Tom led by example, and made us all laugh while he was doing it," said a statement from Ron Howard, who played Bosley's son, Richie Cunningham.

After Happy Days ended, Bosley went on to a recurring role in Murder, She Wrote as Sheriff Amos Tupper. He played a crime-solving priest in another TV series, The Father Dowling Mysteries, from 1989 to 1991.