Wilford Brimley Dead at 85

Wilford Brimley, the longtime spokesperson behind various Quaker Oats and diabetes PSA campaigns, has died. He was 85. A report from TMZ says the actor passed away in Utah Saturday morning after being admitted to a local ICU on dialysis. The actor-turned-spokesperson was diagnosed with diabetes in 1979 and was vocal about the disease significantly since then. The American Diabetes Association honored him in 2008 for his lifetime advocacy.

Brimley has dozens of acting credits to his name, most notably in classics like Cocoon, The Thing, and Hard Target. In all, Brimley tallied over 70 acting credits through his lengthy career, the earliest of which came with a minor role in True Grit in 1969. The majority of his acting roles came in various television works, including The Waltons, How the West Was Won, The Firm, and Our House.

Sitcom fans might even recognize Brimley as Postmaster General Henry Atkins from the fan-favorite Seinfeld episode “The Junk Mail.” Around the same time of his Seinfeld role, Brimley got a gig acting as a spokesperson for Quaker Oats, appearing in a handful of commercials for the breakfast food company throughout the 90s.

Taking his endorsement days to heart, a representative for the actor told TMZ his favorite quote was, “There is nothing made, sold, or done that can’t be made, sold, or done cheaper. If price is your only concern, please do business with my competitor.”

Brimley acted well into the 2000s, appearing in projects until 2017. His last three movies included I Believe, Timber the Treasure Dog, and Masque. In the digital age, Brimley became a must-follow on Twitter as he and his team dove in feet-first with the microblogging platform.

He is survived by his wife Beverly and his three children.

Cover photo by Photo by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images