by Steve Eastman, Wait Til You Hear This
Russell Johnson passed away at his Washington State home of natural causes. His wife and daughter were at his side. Johnson played the professor on Gilligan’s Island, a comedy that ran on CBS from September 26, 1964 through September 4, 1967. The popular show did well in reruns, which led to several reunion movies. His career slowed down after Gilligan, but Johnson showed up once in a while on TV after that. He signed his last autograph a few weeks ago.
Dave Madden died in Florida, reportedly of congestive heart and kidney failure. You may remember him as Reuben Kincaid from The Partridge Family. Madden played the group’s manager. He was also a regular on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. Madden’s first TV job was on Camp Runamok. Starting in the late 80s, he played characters on Advenutures in Odyssey, a radio drama produced by Focus on the Family.
© 2014 Wait Til You Hear This
