The Issue: The passing of Jack Klugman, a character actor most famous for his work on “The Odd Couple.”
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Klugman has left us at age 90, a character actor who played many different roles, from the serious and poignant to the very funny (“TV Slob ‘Oscar’ Is Dead,” Dec. 25).
Like many, I fondly remember Klugman as the sloppy Oscar Madison on “The Odd Couple,” playing opposite Tony Randall as the fussy Felix Unger.
Here was the slob that America loved; I know I did.
May you rest in peace. Remember, Felix is waiting for you with his heavenly frying pans.
Frederick Bedell Jr.
Glen Oaks Village
Goodbye, Jack, and thank you for the laughs.
Felix was a fussbudget, and we laughed at him. You were everyman and we laughed with you.
Actors like you, Jackie Gleason and Carroll O’Connor let us laugh at ourselves.Patrick Grant
Brooklyn
Versatile actor Jack Klugman, who recently passed away, was a consummate professional, equally adept at playing comedic and dramatic parts, as well as television, movie and Broadway roles.
Among his most noteworthy roles was slovenly sportswriter Oscar Madison, which proved that a TV program could be just as popular as its movie counterpart.
He also scored a hit as a murder-solving medical examiner on “Quincy, M.E.” which was somewhat based on LA’s “coroner to the stars” Thomas Noguchi.
One might say it was the beginning of the CSI type of series, and helped to publicize and educate people about controversial issues such as child abuse, drunken driving and elderly abuse.
For his efforts, he captured three Emmys and was nominated for numerous others, which showed just how talented he was.
Kenneth Zimmerman
Huntington Beach, Calif.
I watched reruns of “The Odd Couple” when I was a child. Klugman and Randall were both very funny on the show.
He also did a great job playing Dr. R. Quincy on “Quincy, M.E.,” one of my favorite medical dramas.
He’s one of the greatest sitcom stars.
Paul Bacon
Hallandale Beach, Fla.