7/4/2008

in

Larry Harmon, the man who portrayed Bozo the Clown for more than 50 years and owned the rights to the character, died Thursday of congestive heart failure.

Justin Zaremba

The Associated Press reports that Larry Harmon, the man who was Bozo the Clown for more than half a century, died of congestive heart failure at the age of 83, on Thursday.  
  
Harmon, an enterprising businessman, licensed the character to dozens of television stations around the country, who in turn hired actors to play local versions of Bozo the Clown.  
  
Bozo the Clown was first created by writer-producer Alan W. Livingston for a series of children's records in 1946. The first Bozo the Clown was Pinto Colvig, who provided the voice for Walt Disney's Goofy.  
  
Harmon first met his alter ego after answering a casting call to make personal appearances as a clown to promote the records. Harmon landed that job and eventually bought the rights to Bozo.  
  
"Bozo is a combination of the wonderful wisdom of the adult and the childlike ways in all of us," Harmon said in 1996, during an interview with AP.  
  
Harmon made the clown into a lucrative business that made millions through animation, licensing of the character, and personal appearances. Over the years, Harmon trained more than 200 Bozos to represent him in local markets.  
  
Harmon once said, "Bozo is a star, an entertainer, bigger than life. People see him as Mr. Bozo, somebody you can relate to, touch and laugh with."