Bill Daily, the comic actor who found breakout success as Major Healey on the hit 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie and also had notable roles on The Bob Newhart Show and Alf, has reportedly died. He was 91.
Daily’s son, J. Patrick Daily, confirmed the news to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, saying that his father died of natural causes on Sept. 4 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “He loved every sunset, he loved every meal,” J. Patrick told Variety of his father. “He just decided to be happy about everything.”
I Dream of Jeannie title star Barbara Eden remembered Daily on Twitter. Major Healey was a supporting character on all five seasons of the show, as the goofy best friend to NASA astronaut Anthony Nelson (the late Larry Hagman).
“Our favorite zany astronaut, Bill Daily has passed,” Eden, 87, tweeted, captioning a photo of them. “Billy was wonderful to work with. He was a funny, sweet man that kept us all on our toes. I’m so thankful to have known and worked with that rascal. Until we meet again Billy, xo.”
After Jeannie, Daily would spend all six seasons (and 140 episodes) on The Bob Newhart Show, playing Newhart’s dotty neighbor, airline pilot Howard Borden.
“Bill Daily & I go back to Chicago in the 50s,” Newhart, 89, wrote on Twitter. “He and I were both trying to get into standup.”
“Later, he joined The Bob Newhart Show. He was our bullpen guy — you could always go to him,” Newhart remembered of their time on the show, which wrapped in 1978. “He was one of the most positive people I’ve ever known. I will miss him dearly.”
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