Known for appearances in satirical movies such as “This Is Spinal Tap” and “Best in Show,” and then as a goofy grandfather in the recent sitcom “Modern Family,” Fred Willard died at 86 on Saturday.
His family said he died of natural causes.
The magazine Rolling Stone was one of the first media outlets to confirm his death.
Willard’s daughter, Hope, also announced her father’s death on Twitter on Saturday afternoon.
It is with a heavy heart that I share the news my father passed away very peacefully last night at the fantastic age of 86 years old. He kept moving, working and making us happy until the very end. We loved him so very much!
We will miss him forever.鈥� Hope Willard (@Mulbytime7)
Willard, who was born in the Cleveland, Ohio suburb of Shaker Heights, started working in film and television in the late 1960s and established himself as a go-to cast member of the films directed by Christopher Guest by the 1980s.
Willard had a regular role, playing patriarch Phil Dunphy’s father, in “Modern Family” starting in 2009. The series ended last month.
