Canadian actor and comedian Leslie Nielsen is reported to have passed away after a battle with pneumonia at the age of 84.
Nephew Doug Nielsen told the CJOB talk radio station in Canada that “Just in this last 48 hours, the infection has gotten too much and today at 5.30, with his friends and his wife by his side, he just fell asleep and passed away.”
Nielsen began his career on television in the 1950’s, before making the switch to the big screen in the 1956 movie The Vagabond King. That role led to a contract with MGM, where Nielsen landed lead roles in movies including Forbidden Planet, Ransom!, The Opposite Sex, and Hot Summer Night. In 1957 he starred opposite Debbie Reynolds in the romantic comedy Tammy and the Bachelor.
After a variety of parts on television and movies, Nielsen switched to comedy in 1980, establishing him as one of the foremost comedic actors of the age. After Airplane!, he went on to star in the television series Police Squad, The Naked Gun movies, and a variety of other parts both on television and the big screen.
Although his career diminished in later years, his appearances on movies including Scary Movie 3 were well received.
Nielsen is survived by his fourth wife, and two children from his second marriage.
