Leslie Nielsen, an actor known for his slapstick and deadpan humour, has died at the age of 84.
His agent, John S. Kelly, confirms the comedian passed away at a hospital near his home in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Sunday evening.
The man behind Airplane! and Naked Gun Series was being treated for pneumonia.
Nielsen's nephew told CTV News the Regina native had been fighting the condition for 12 days.
The actor's most famous role was that of Lt. Frank Drebin, a hapless police officer who survives on sheer luck.
But the funnyman played more than 200 other characters as well, starring in at least 100 movies and countless television shows.
The long and storied career, which spanned more than sixty years, prompted film critic Roger Ebert to once dub the actor a "Lawrence Olivier of spoofs."
Nielsen was awarded the Order of Canada in 2002 and in 2003, Grant MacEwan University opened a School of Communications in his name - an institute that offers programs in digital arts, writing, visual design and journalism.
The comedian is survived by his wife Barbaree, whom he married in 2001, and his two daughters, Maura Nielsen Kaplan and Thea Nielsen Disney.
