David Lander has died.
David Lander
The 73-year-old actor - who was best known for his role of Andrew 'Squiggy' Squiggman on classic TV series 'Laverne & Shirley' - passed away at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles on Friday (04.12.20) as a result of complications from multiple sclerosis (MS).
David battled MS for 37 years and passed away with his wife Kathy, their daughter Natalie and her husband Jared by his side, TMZ reports.
Character actor David first appeared on screen at the age of 22 in the TV series 'Department S' in 1969.
He went on to appear in a number of 70s sitcoms, including 'The Bob Newhart Show', 'Rhoda' and 'Happy Days'.
However, he is best remembered for his work on the series 'Laverne & Shirley', which ran from 1976 until 1983.
David - whose character Squiggy appeared in 156 episodes of the series - starred opposite Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as the titular roommates.
He was joined on the show by his close pal Michael McKean, who played Lenny Kosnowski.
David's varied career involved appearances in 'The Love Boat', 'Matlock', 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' and 'Married… With Children', 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'. .
He also voiced characters in 'Garfield', 'SpongeBob SquarePants', 'The Simpsons' and many more.
Lander's death comes just over a week after his daughter Natalie posted on Instagram that he was in hospital but doing better.
She wrote: "This Thanksgiving was definitely different to say the least. My Dad has been in the hospital but I'm so grateful that he's on the mend. This year has been tough for so many people though. We truly are all in this together. Today Jared and I spent Thanksgiving just the two of us. My mom visited my Dad (only one person can visit per day, so we've been trading off). Today, I am reminded that even though things feel hard, I am still very lucky. Counting my blessings each and every day. "