Nipsey Russell, 80

Nipsey Russell, the "poet laureate" of television has died of cancer at the age of 80 at a hospital in New York.

Nipsey's first big role was on the television show "Car 54 Where Are You" (he appeared in the awful remake with Buster Poindexter years later). He also was the Tin Man to Diana Ross' Dorothy and Michael Jackson's Scarecrow in the musical comedy "The Wiz" (an all-Black version of "The Wizard of Oz."

People of my generation however will likely remember Nipsey from his many appearances on the game show, "Match Game." We'd run home from school to turn on Channel 2 and see Nipsey, Charles Nelson Reilly, a pre-Family Feud Richard Dawson and others ham and joke it up with host Gene Rayburn.

Those shows were WAY more entertaining than any game shows on today.

So long, Nipsey!