Ed Nelson, star of soap opera "Peyton Place," died Saturday of congestive heart failure at age 85.
Nelson played doctor Michael Rossi on “Peyton Place,” which ran from 1964 to 1969 on ABC. He also appeared in low-budget Roger Corman films and in western-themed television shows including “Bat Masterson,” “Gunsmoke,” and “Rawhide.” He also worked as a stage actor, including the role of U.S. President Harry Truman in a national tour of "Give 'Em Hell, Harry."
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Nelson’s daughter,
Beth Nelson Moore, remembered the actor as "a very present father," The Times-Picayune reported. "When he was with us, he set apart the time to be with us."
Nelson raised his family in southern California, living in a rural area with his wife, Patricia, and six children and driving a 45-minute commute to the studio to film “Peyton Place.”
He was a native of New Orleans and had lived at Greensboro, N.C., for the past five years.
Corman said Nelson was "a very decent and good person,” The Times-Picayune reported. “He was something of an athlete. I was impressed by his intelligence and the fact we all got along well together."
Nelson served in the Navy as a radioman and earned a degree from Tulane University in 1972.
He is survived by his wife, six children, 14 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.
Twitter users expressed sorrow.
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