American actor Arnold Stang dies at age 91

December 24, 2009

American actor Arnold Stang, famous for playing the voice of cartoon character Top Cat, has died at the age of 91 from pneumonia. JoAnne Stang, his wife of 60 years, announced that he had died in Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Massachusetts, United States on Sunday.

Some of his famous roles included being the sidekick to Frank Sinatra in The Man with the Golden Arm, a film released in 1955, and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, a film that was released in 1963. In addition to these roles, Stang voiced the lead character in Top Cat, a television cartoon which ran from 1961 to 1962.

On Tuesday, JoAnne Stang said about her husband: "He was really unique, because he could perform in any role, comedy or drama, he just loved it all. He always thought of himself just as an actor, not any particular kind of actor, but just an actor who would play whatever he was asked to play. I remember how smart he was, and how hardworking, and how disciplined he was, no matter what the role."