Charles Nelson Reilly Dead At 76

Tony Award winner Charles Nelson Reilly has died of complications from pneumonia, according to his partner and only immediate survivor Patrick Hughes. He was 76.

In 1962, he appeared on Broadway as Bud Frump in the original Broadway production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The role won Reilly a Tony Award. He was nominated for a Tony again for playing Cornelius in Hello, Dolly! and for directing Julie Harris and Charles Durning in a revival of The Gin Game. He appeared as the nervous Claymore Gregg on TV's The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and as a featured guest on The Dean Martin Show.

I remember him from Sid and Marty Krofft's Lidsville and his appearances on programs like Match Game and Hollywood Squares. He later admitted his game show appearances adversely affected his acting career.

Reilly's openly gay television persona was ahead of its time and sometimes stood in his way. He recalled a network executive telling him "they don't let queers on television."

I'll always remember him for his trademark laugh.
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