Leslie Nielsen, the once dramatic force who traded in his tear-jerker skill set for a bucket o’ laughs died Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 84.
The Canadian-born actor, best known for his roles as various bumbling, accident-prone characters like detective Frank Drebin in “The Naked Gun” comedies and the hapless doctor in “Airplane!” died from complications from pneumonia at 5:34 p.m., surrounded by his wife, Barbaree, and friends.
“We are saddened by the passing of beloved actor Leslie Nielsen, probably best remembered as Lt. Frank Drebin in ‘The Naked Gun’ series of pictures, but who enjoyed a more than 60-year career in motion pictures and television,” Nielsen’s agent John S. Kelly said in a statement.
