Edd Byrnes death: Tributes paid to Grease star after he dies aged 87

Edd Byrnes has died aged 87
AP
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Grease star Edd Byrnes has died aged 87, his family have announced.

The actor, who also played Kookie in the hit TV show 77 Sunset Strip, passed away at his home in Santa Monica on Wednesday.

Edd’s son Logan Byrnes confirmed the news on Twitter and paid tribute to his beloved father.

He wrote: “It is with profound sadness and grief that I share with you the passing of my father Edd Byrnes.

“He was an amazing man and one of my best friends.”

Byrnes worked a variety of jobs, but he yearned for an acting career.

In 1955 he drove to LA “with a few hundred dollars and a dream of making it big in the entertainment business,” his son wrote.

In the 1978 John Travolta movie “Grease,” he played Vince Fontaine, the suave host of the “National Bandstand” TV dance show.

Grease - In pictures

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But Byrnes was best known as Kookie on the private-detective series 77 Sunset Strip, which ran from ran from 1958 to 1964.

He played a parking attendant at a Hollywood nightclub and helped out with cases.

The show made Byrnes a teen idol who at the height of his popularity received 15,000 fan letters a week.

He appeared also appeared in dozens of movies and on episodes of several TV shows, including “Fantasy Island” and “Murder, She Wrote.”

In 1975, Byrnes was hired to host a new game show called “Wheel of Fortune” and filmed two pilots, but the job eventually went to Chuck Woolery.

In his personal life, Byrnes struggled with alcohol and drug addictions for years before managing to kick them.

He was married to actress Asa Maynor from 1962 to 1971. The marriage ended in divorce.

In addition to his son, he is survived by his partner, Catherine Gross, his sister Jo-Ann Breitenberger and his brother, Vincent Breitenberger.

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