Renown Bozo the Clown, Frank Avruch Meets His Demise Aged 89

Frank Avruch, the world-famous actor renown for his portray of popular TV children’s character, Bozo the Clown, died on 20^th of March at his Boston home.

His family first broke the news as they shared the news with various TV stations about the celebrity. They revealed that he had been struggling with heart complications for a while before his demise.

A statement released by his family that accompanied the news revealed just how much his children revered him. They cited his numerous charitable works as a UNICEF Ambassador that brought smiles to millions of other children around the world. His diversity allowed him to also dabble as a host of Channel 5’s Great Entertainment and Boston’s Man About Town.

The Beginnings

Avruch was the first syndicated Bozo, but he was not the first ever Bozo

Long before he earned his name as a star of the Bozo show, Frank Avruch started out his career in radio right after graduating from Boston University. Soon after, he ventured out to TV and landed the Bozo role.

The Bozo gig underwent numerous baptisms. It started out as Bozo’s Circus before it was retitled to Bozo the Clown between the years 1959 and 1970. His role as Bozo the Clown earned him plaudits in the U.S during the 1960s because of the emergence of television as a franchise to reckon.

During the next phase of his career he was working at WCVB. There, he dedicated an incredulous 40 years reporting as a contributor on the Boston morning program called Good Day. Thanks to his commitments in the industry, he was inducted to the National Television Academy’s Gold Circle.

Moments after his death, Stuart Hersh, Avruch’s manager spoke with lots of praise about the man himself. He cited him as being a man with a golden heart. In complement, he also praised his portrayal of Bozo the Clown character as the best ever.

Making His Name

During his lifetime, Frank Avruch was once quizzed by a children’s television known as TV Party about the meaning behind his name. He divulged that his name actually had Hebrew heritage. He was born in 1928 to Russian-Jewish parents. The name Avruch, was actually spelled as Avrush, and meant ‘young prince’ in Hebrew. His joyful and eclectic nature allowed him to joke about the significance of his name by referring to himself as ‘royalty’ during the interview.

Admittedly, he did not immediately take to his birth name while he was starting out in the industry. Instead, he opted to go with a pseudonym. He went with the most American name he could decipher, Frank Stevens

However, right after he had spent some time in the army and came back to the scene, he decided to do away with the pseudonym. Since then, he reverted to his real name, Frank Avruch.

His forays into the world of acting saw him achieve momentous success that he was able to earn numerous awards. Of these, were two Emmy Award gongs and a Man of the Year award for his involvement in numerous charities all around the world.

A Life Well Lived

Given the fact that clowns are usually characters that split opinions among people, Frank Avruch was quite aware of the perception people had. His later on work contrasted sharply with his red-orange hair and big shoe persona. All the same, his show was a fantastic hit all around the world due to his magnificent portrayal of Bozo the Clown.

He famously talked about how in his interaction with people, many seemed to gloss over the fact that he once depicted Bozo the Clown on the small screen. This may perhaps have something to do with the career evolution he experienced during his lifetime. He went from a funny clown to an altogether different presentation.

However, even with his newfound suaveness, Frank Avruch was very much proud of his time working as Bozo the Clown. He even acknowledged it as his most prized role all through his careers. He considered his time as the clown as a highlight in his career.

Every time he spoke about his career, a little flint in his eye was noticeable. He achieved longevity having spent eons on both TV and radio. His experience allowed him to float through the motions and deliver fantastically. In truth, he lived a full life. He is now survived by his wife Betty, two sons and numerous grandchildren.