(WWJ) An actor who played Bozo the Clown on TV in Windsor and Detroit has died.
Art Cervi, the star of "Bozo's Big Top" in the 1960s and 70s, passed away Monday at his home in Novi.
Cervi had been battling heart problems for a long time, according to his family, and was recently placed in hospice care.
Tim Kiska, former Detroit News TV critic, says Cervi was one of the biggest stars in Detroit television history.
"He was one of these guys who was just totally engaging, on TV and with the kids in the studio; really engaging," Kiska said, speaking to WWJ Newsradio 950's Sandra McNeill. "And so it's interesting because, if he was walking down the street, nobody would know who he is ... But, in fact, in the 60s Bozo was in fact a very, very big deal in local TV."
Cervi was also the topic of one of the most enduring urban legends in local TV.
"There was a famous exchange where some kid lost some contest, and the kid says, 'Bite me, Bozo!' And people swear to God that they heard that," Kiska said.
"I talked to Cervi about this, and Cervi set me straight. He says, 'You know what? There are people in every city in America, people swear that it happened.' And he says, 'I know every Bozo in the country,' which is a funny line, and he says, 'It never happened. I didn't happen to me.'"
Cervi was 86 years old.