His mother was a Puerto Rican Catholic and his father was a German[3] Lutheran immigrant who had arrived in the U.S. as a youth in 1934. [8] Prinze was very close friends with singer Tony Orlando;[9] Orlando appeared on Chico and the Man, and Prinze appeared on Orlando's variety show. Prinze's son, Freddie Prinze Jr., has stated that his father was half German/half Puerto Rican many times. [12], Prinze suffered from depression, which deepened in the weeks after his wife filed for divorce. [19], Prinze is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, near his father, Edward Karl Pruetzel. He died at 1:00 in the afternoon on January 29, 1977, 33 hours after shooting himself. Freddie Prinze (1954-1977) - Find A Grave... September 2020. [15], Prinze had a history of playing Russian roulette to frighten his friends for his amusement,[16] though he made farewell phone calls to numerous family members and friends on the night of his death and left a note stating that he had decided to take his life. Freddie was surprised by this appearance by his parents - AT. Prinze was born in Los Angeles, California, the only child of actor-comedian Freddie Prinze and real estate agent Katherine "Kathy" Elaine Barber (née Cochran). Freddie lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in his early life. 2164, ; Maintained by Find A Grave Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend, who reports a Private location. Freddie Prinze married Kathy Elaine Barber in 1975; they were estranged at the time of his death in 1977. He left behind a wife and infant son. He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, and his funeral was attended by many who had known him (Jack Albertson, his co-star and friend, Tony Orlando, Sammy Davis, Jr., etc.). Freddie grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City. He was a popular comic and television actor of the 1970s, and gained wide fame while playing the role of 'Chico Rodriquez' on the television situation comedy Chico and the Man opposite actor Jack Albertson. Prinze grew up … Prinze was then administered last rites by a priest. About four months before his death, Prinze had signed a five-year deal with NBC worth $6 million. The former lead singer for the English rockers died in 1991 and was cremated, before having his ashes scattered in an undisclosed location. Actor. With your free account at foundagrave.com, you can add your loved ones, friends, and idols to our growing database of "Deceased but not Forgotten" records. This followed a $1,000,000 out-of-court settlement with his psychiatrist and doctor to end their malpractice suit for allowing him access to a gun and over-prescribing Quaaludes (as a tranquilizer). The Story of Freddie Prinze, "Freddie Prinze Wounded in Head; Police Say TV Star Shot Himself; PRINZE, THE TV STAR, IS WOUNDED IN HEAD", "Pam Grier's Collection of Lessons Learned", "Martial arts master went toe to toe with greatest", "Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Comedy Store' On Showtime, A Docuseries About The Sunset Strip Comedy Club Where Legends Were Born", "Freddie Prinze buried on hill overlooking NBC studio", https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/01/20/Freddie-Prinze-death-ruled-an-accident/4154411886800/, "Interview: Kevin Pollak Tells Us Why Misery Loves Comedy", "Freddie Prinze | Hollywood Walk of Fame", "Freddie Prinze – Hollywood Star Walk – Los Angeles Times", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freddie_Prinze&oldid=996424615, People from Washington Heights, Manhattan, Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), American male actors who committed suicide, American male comedians who committed suicide, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox comedian with unknown parameters, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 December 2020, at 14:54. October 2020. Freddie Prinze Sr. Graniela. [21][22] Actor and comedian George Lopez has acknowledged that he paid for Prinze's star. Freddie Prinze. He would have lived a dream life in Hollywood fame. Freddie grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City. His son, Freddie Prinze Jr., who was less than one year old when his father died, did not speak publicly about his father's death until he discussed it in the documentary Misery Loves Comedy (2015), directed by Kevin Pollak. Prinze was famous for his line "looooking good!" Prinze received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 14, 2004, honoring his contribution to the television industry. Freddie Prinze, Actor: Chico and the Man. Prinze had a little-known talent for singing, examples of which could be heard in the background of the title song of the Tony Orlando and Dawn album To Be With You, in his appearances on their variety show, and on rare occasions on his own sitcom. With his career at its peak, Freddie Prinze had a bright future for him and his son. 250px Prinze in 1975 Freddie Prinze Background information Birthname Frederick Karl Pruetzel Born (1954-06-22)June 22, 1954 Birthplace New York, New York, U.S. Died January 29, 1977(1977-01-29) (aged 22) Deathplace Los Angeles, California, U.S. However, in 1983 in a civil case brought by his mother, wife, and son against Crown Life Insurance Company the jury found that his death was medication-induced and accidental, which enabled the family to collect $200,000 in life insurance. As a chubby child, he was often bullied, but was quite creative and bright in his extracurricular activities (he was known to have handmade a ham radio, which he used regularly). The Suicide Note. See more ideas about actors, celebrities, beautiful people. From September 1974 until his death in January 1977, Prinze starred as Francisco "Chico" Rodriguez in the NBC TV series Chico and the Man with Jack Albertson. 839, citing Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave . Freddie grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City. Almanor Ranger District 900 E. Hwy 36 | PO Box 767 Chester, CA 96020 (530) 258-2141. He also appeared on The Midnight Special to perform his comic routine. Cause of death Alternate names Occupation(s) Years active Spouse(s) Katherine (Kathy) Elaine (Barber) Prinze (1975–1977; his death) Partner(s) Children Freddie Prinze Jr. [14] Prinze was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center and placed on life support following emergency surgery. During 1973, Prinze made his first television appearance on one of the last episodes of Jack Paar Tonite. On his TV show, his death resulted in his “Chico” character being replaced by a young child; the show was canceled soon afterwards. Click here to submit your listings. Soon after, Wall became godfather to Prinze's newborn son. Prinze had been romantically linked to actress Pam Grier[1] after they met in 1973. He made dozens of movies - playing roles that ranged from a convict in "The Birdman of Alcatraz" to Pontius Pilate in "The Greatest Story Ever Told" - but the bald actor was most famous for his TV role as police detective "Kojak. He was the father of actor Freddie Prinze, Jr. 2009-06-06T02:03:46.000Z. Freddie Prinze is buried right next to George Raft in the Sanctuary of Light in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California. Miraculously, he did not die right away, and was rushed to UCLA Medical Center with a massive head wound. He is of Puerto Rican, German, English, and Irish descent. He was the father of actor Freddie Prinze, Jr. © 2018 Found a Grave, All rights reserved. His family removed him from life support, and he died at 1 p.m. on January 29. He chose this name because, according to his friend David Brenner, Prinze originally wanted to be known as the king of comedy, but since Alan King already had that last name and sobriquet, he would be the prince of comedy instead. In January 1977, following his final public appearance (at the Inaugural Ball for President Jimmy Carter), 22-year-old Freddie called his mother, friends and manager and announced that he was committing suicide. [13] He had purchased this gun in the presence of Jimmie "JJ" Walker and Alan Bursky, though it was long rumored that Bursky gave him the gun. He dropped out of school in his senior year to become a stand-up comedian. In 2001, TV Land began showing reruns of Chico and the Man. On October 13, 1975, Prinze married Katherine (Kathy) Elaine (Barber) Cochran, with whom he had one child, son Freddie Prinze Jr., who was born March 8, 1976. from the television show Chico and the Man. Early life Celebrity Grave: Comedian & Actor Freddie Prinze 1977 Freddie Prinze (June 22, 1954 – January 29, 1977) was an American actor and stand-up comedian. By Lassen is a Danish design brand focused on iconic designs created by Mogens and Flemming Lassen, founded by Lassens’ relatives in 2008. Early on, he aspired to become famous, and, after enrolling at Fiorella LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts, he obtained a job at the Improv Club, in New York, where people started to take notice of his comedic talent (but the long hours he worked at night, balanced by increasing absences in school, caused him to drop out of high school to pursue comedy full-time). Freddie Prinze (1954-1977) - Find A Grave... Comedian, Actor. 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