‘Laverne & Shirley’ Actor David Lander Dead at 73

David L. Lander, known for playing Andrew “Squiggy” Squiggman for all eight seasons of the 1970s ABC sitcom ‘Laverne & Shirley,’  has died.

He was 73.

According to his wife, Kathy Fields, David died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from complications due to multiple sclerosis.

The actor was diagnosed with the condition in May 1984 but kept it a secret for 15 years.

via Page Six:

Lander and his “Laverne & Shirley” sidekick Michael McKean were originally hired as writers for the show in 1976. The duo met as freshmen at Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh and did a raunchy comedy act known as Lenny & Anthony. They ended up getting added to the cast for the first show and were soon made part of the cast.

Penny Marshall, who starred as Laverne DeFazio, died in 2018. She and Cindy Williams, who starred as Shirley Feeney, were roommates who worked at a Milwaukee brewery in the late 1950s.

Lenny, as portrayed by McKean, and Squiggy, were knuckleheaded greasers who drove trucks for the brewery and lived in the apartment upstairs.

“We have lost a great comedy genius, David Lander. But thankfully, the man that made millions of people laugh out loud still remains in the amazing performances he has left us. What a blessing.. what an absolute blast it was to work with you over the years, my darling friend,” Williams wrote on Instagram.

RIP.