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FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2013, file photo, George Schlatter, left, poses with Chuck McCann at "Still Laugh In: A Toast to George Schlatter" at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, Calif. Actor and comedian McCann, who recorded the famous line "I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!" has died. He was 83. His publicist Edward Lozzi says McCann died Sunday, April 9. 2018, of congestive heart failure in a Los Angeles hospital. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

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In this Sept. 10, 2010, photo, Chuck McCann Motorcycle Charity Associates presents its 4th annual Leather Meets Lace event benefiting Iraq Star Foundation and Heroes Night Out at the Playboy Mansion Los Angeles. Actor and comedian McCann, who recorded the famous line "I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!" has died. He was 83. His publicist Edward Lozzi says McCann died Sunday, April 9. 2018, of congestive heart failure in a Los Angeles hospital. (Rachel Worth/Lozzi Media Services via AP)

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FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2013, file photo, Tim Conway, left, and Chuck McCann pose together at "Still Laugh In: A Toast to George Schlatter" at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, Calif. Actor and comedian McCann, who recorded the famous line "I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!" has died. He was 83. His publicist Edward Lozzi says McCann died Sunday, April 9. 2018, of congestive heart failure in a Los Angeles hospital. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

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In this Sept. 10, 2010, photo, Chuck McCann Motorcycle Charity Associates presents its 4th annual Leather Meets Lace event benefiting Iraq Star Foundation and Heroes Night Out at the Playboy Mansion Los Angeles. Actor and comedian McCann, who recorded the famous line "I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!" has died. He was 83. His publicist Edward Lozzi says McCann died Sunday, April 9. 2018, of congestive heart failure in a Los Angeles hospital. (Rachel Worth/Lozzi Media Services via AP)

Prolific voice actor and comedian Chuck McCann dies at 83

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 1:38 PM ET May. 09, 2019

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chuck McCann, the zany comic who hosted a children's television show in the 1960s before branching out as a character actor in films and TV, died Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 83.

McCann died Sunday of congestive heart failure in a Los Angeles hospital, according to his publicist Edward Lozzi.

McCann was born Sept. 2, 1934 in Brooklyn. He became a household name in New York when he took over a variety show, entertaining a generation of children with light-hearted humor and puppets.

In 1968, McCann appeared in his first major film: "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter." He expanded his work into animation acting and created the voice of Sonny the Cuckoo Bird, who cried "I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!" in commercials for General Mills.

He moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s and made guest appearances on shows including "Little House on the Prairie," ''Bonanza," and "Columbo."

McCann was a prolific voice actor, lending his voice to characters such as Mayor Grafton on "The Garfield Show," Ducksworth in "DuckTales: Remastered," and Heff Heffalump in Disney's "The New Adventures of Winnie The Pooh."

He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Fanning, and two daughters.

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