(Originally published by the Daily News on January 30, 1977. This story was written by Theo Wilson.)
LOS ANGELES – With a nurse pounding her fists on his chest and screaming, “Hang on,” comedian Freddie Prinze died yesterday of a self-inflicted bullet wound in the head after doctors had fought 33 hours to save his life.
Nurse Linda Rufkin’s frantic efforts to keep Prinze’s heart going were too late as electronic signals marking his weak vital signs came to a sudden halt.
FREDDIE PRINZE ATTEMPTS SUICIDE IN 1977
The 22-year-old Prinze, who had 40 million Americans loving him every week as the star of television’s “Chio and the Man,” pumped a bullet through his brain early Friday as his stunned manager stood by helpless.
The manager, Marvin (Dusty) Snyder, said the young comic was in a fit of despondency over his shattered marriage to Katherine Elaine, 26, who had sued Prinze for divorce last month over “irreconcilable differences” after 15 months of marriage.
Prinze first called his wife and parents, telling them of his intended suicide, before snatching an automatic pistol from under a sofa pillow and shooting himself.
Prinze never regained consciousness. Doctors said that the bullet had passed through his head, causing massive brain damage.
At 1 p.m. yesterday, doctors declared Prinze dead, ending a vigil kept by his wife and mother, neither of whom had left the hospital.
Prinze’s agent and friend, Paul Wasserman, said: “A doctor brought the wife and mother into a room and broke the news. They fell on the bed and each other, crying.”
Richard Greene, administrator at the UCLA Medical Center, told reporters that Prinze was declared dead after there was “no indication of any central nervous system function.”
Experts Are Astonished
Other medical sources expressed astonishment that Prinze lived as long as he did because of the massive brain damage he had inflicted with a .32-caliber slug through his left temple.
Prinze underwent two hours of surgery Friday, but the efforts proved futile.
Jack Albertson, the co-star of “Chico and the Man,” said: “The kid had everything in the world to live for regardless of his problems. The only thing we can do now is say a kind word for him, a prayer, that’s all we can do.”
