David Lander, Squiggy On 'Laverne & Shirley,' Dead At 73

LOS ANGELES, CA — Actor David Lander, who gained fame as Squiggy on the long-running ABC sitcom "Laverne & Shirley" in the 1970s and '80s, has died from multiple sclerosis at the age of 73, TMZ reported Saturday.

Lander died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Friday evening, his wife Kathy told the entertainment web site.

Lander's appearances as Sguiggy were almost always accompanied by the character's friend Lenny, played by Michael McKean. The two actors also appeared together in Steven Spielberg's 1979 comedy "1941," and in the 1980 film "Used Cars."

Lander's other film credits include "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" "A League of Their Own" and "The Man with One Red Shoe."

Besides "Laverne & Shirley," his numerous television appearances include "Twin Peaks," "The Simpsons," "The Nanny," "Family Matters," "Dream On," "Saturday Night Live," "Matlock," "Head of the Class," "Highway to Heaven," "Father Dowling," "Simon and Simon," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Barney Miller," "Happy Days," "The Bob Newhart Show," "Married... with Children" and "The Drew Carey Show."

His daughter Natalie Lander is also an actress and has appeared on ABC's "The Middle," "Castle," "Touch" and "Hannah Montana."

Lander battled multiple sclerosis for decades, and was an ambassador for the National MS Society and was the group's Ambassador of the Year in 2000.

That same year, he published an autobiographical memoir, titled "Fall Down Laughing: How Squiggy Caught Multiple Sclerosis and Didn't Tell Nobody."

—City News Service