LARRY HARMON, WHO PORTRAYED ONE OF THE GREAT ICONS of the entertainment industry, Bozo The Clown, died yesterday (July 3) at age 83 of congestive heart failure.

International Clown Hall of Fame photo

While he was not the orignator, nor the original Bozo, it was Harmon who bought the property rights to Bozo and made him an istitution.

The AP writes in their obituary:

Pinto Colvig, who provided the voice for Walt Disney’s Goofy, was the first Bozo the Clown, a character created by writer-producer Alan W. Livingston for a series of children’s records in 1946. Livingston said he came up with the name Bozo after polling several people at Capitol Records.

Harmon would later meet his alter ego while answering a casting call to make personal appearances as a clown to promote the records.

He got that job and eventually bought the rights to Bozo. Along the way, he embellished Bozo’s distinctive look: the orange-tufted hair, the bulbous nose, the outlandish red, white and blue costume.

He also trained over 200 others to play the role and licensed the character to TV stations nationwide.  The licensing and merchandising fees earned him million$.

You can read the full obituary HERE.

The Associated Press filed this video report:

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