Edd Byrnes, of '77 Sunset Strip' and 'Grease' fame, dies at 87

Edd Byrnes, an actor best known for his roles in 1978's "Grease" and the 1950s series "77 Sunset Strip," died Wednesday at his home in Santa Monica. He was 87. 

The actor's son, San Diego evening news anchor Logan Byrnes, shared the news on Twitter Thursday.

"It is with profound sadness and grief that I share with you the passing of my father Edd Byrnes," he wrote. "He was an amazing man and one of my best friends."

Byrnes, who was born Edward Byrne Breitenberger in New York City, came from a poor family. His alcoholic father died when he was 13. He moved to Hollywood from New York City in his 20s to forge a path in the entertainment industry.

In 1958, he started playing the handsome, smooth-talking Kookie on the private-detective series "77 Sunset Strip." Kookie was a hip parking attendant at a Hollywood nightclub who helped out with cases. He was known for his hipster lingo, including the catch phrase “Baby, you’re the ginchiest!”

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When he wasn’t making wisecracks, Gerald Lloyd “Kookie” Kookson III was lovingly combing his well-greased hairdo.

The show made Byrnes a teen idol who, at the height of his popularity, received 15,000 fan letters a week.

“Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb),” a novelty record he recorded with Connie Stevens, sold more than 1 million copies and rose to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1959.

However, Byrnes chafed under a contract that cost him the chance of several roles in movies such as “Ocean’s Eleven.” He walked off the show in the second season, demanding a bigger part and better pay, and he didn’t return until 1960, when Kookie had become a partner in the detective agency.

Still yearning for larger parts, he bought out his Warner Bros. contract in 1963. He worked steadily but never again achieved the fame of his Kookie years. For his work on the show, TV Guide ranked Byrnes fifth on their list of "TV's 25 Greatest Teen Idols."

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In addition to his television career, Byrnes had multiple film roles, including that of Vince Fontaine, the suave dance show host in "Grease."

Byrnes also played parts on "Charlie's Angels," "Fantasy Island," "Murder, She Wrote" and "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries." In 1975, Byrnes was hired to host “Wheel of Fortune,” then a new game show, and filmed two pilots, but the job eventually went to Chuck Woolery.

He was married to actress Asa Maynor from 1962 to 1971. The marriage ended in divorce.

In addition to his son, he is survived by his partner, Catherine Gross; a sister, Jo-Ann Breitenberger; and a brother, Vincent Breitenberger.

Contributing: Robert Jablon, Associated Press