Goodnight Sweet Bozo...

Childhood television staple, Larry Harmon, a.k.a. Bozo the Clown, passed away today from congestive heart failure. The late clown was 83-years-old.

While not the originator of the Bozo character (that honor went to Pinto Colvig, the original voice of Disney's Goofy), Harmon, in a stroke of brilliant business acumen, did license the character to television stations all over the country. Harmon himself helped to choose the different Bozos and held a high standard for all prospective clowns who hoped to fill his size 83AAA red shoes.

Bozo's career was not free from scandal. He became caught up in a minor controversy in 2004 when the International Clown Hall of Fame in Milwaukee took down a plaque honoring him as Bozo. The Hall of fame instead formally endorsed Colvig for creating the role.

“Isn’t it a shame the credit that was given to me for the work I have done, they
arbitrarily take it down, like I didn’t do anything for the last 52 years,” he
told the AP at the time.

Harmon donned the Bozo outfit again in 1996 when he appeared in the Rose Parade in Pasadena. The crowd reaction, he recalled, was deafening. He was a popular culture icon, and his very character's name became synonymous with clownish behavior.

Harmon is survived by his wife, his son, Jeff Harmon, and daughters Lori Harmon, Marci Breth-Carabet and Leslie Breth.

Here's to you, Bozo...