Gavin MacLeod, ‘Love Boat’ and ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show’ Star, Dead at 90

Gavin MacLeod, the beloved actor of The Love Boat and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, died early Saturday morning. He was 90. His nephew, Mark See, told TMZ MacLeod died at his home in Palm Desert, California. He had been in and out of the hospital in recent months for various health issues, but it is not known what ultimately caused his death. See and MacLeod’s ex-wife, Joan Rootvik, also confirmed the actor’s death was not COVID-related.

MacLeod was born Allan George See in Mount Kisco, New York on Feb. 28, 1931. He studied acting at Ithaca College, but served in the U.S. Air Force bore moved to New York City to pursue acting. During this time, he picked his stage name, Gavin MacLeod. The first name was inspired by a physically disabled character in a TV drama and the last name was a tribute to his Ithaca drama coach.

He began his career in the late 1950s, and earned his first major credited role in the 1958 movie I Want to Live!. During this time, Blake Edwards noticed him and he was cast in the pilot for Peter Gunn. His breakout role came in the Cary Grant comedy Operation Petticoat (1959). In December 1961, he worked with Mary Tyler Moore for the first time when he took a guest role on The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Everything changed for MacLeod in 1970 when he was cast in The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Murray Slaughter, the head newswriter for WMJ’s 6:00 news show. He tried out for the gruff news producer Lou Grant, but the part went to Ed Asner. MacLeod later said he was happy to play Murray instead, notes Variety. Today, it seems impossible to see MacLeod as anyone but Murray on MTM. The role earned him two Golden Globe nominations. MacLeod and Moore were the only two cast members to appear in all 168 episodes of the show, which ended in 1977. With MacLeod’s death, Asner and Bette White are the only surviving main cast members of the show.

After MTM ended, MacLeod found the next important role of his career, Captain Stubing on The Love Boat. He starred in all nine seasons of the show, which ended in 1986. In fact, it’s possible that MacLeod holds the record for two consecutive long-running series as there was no season between MTM and The Love Boat. MacLeod loved being associated with the series, regularly appearing at reunions and becoming a spokesman for Princess Cruises.

One of MacLeod’s last public appearances came in 2018 when MacLeod joined co-stars Fred Grandy, Ted Lange, Jill Whelan, Lauren Tewes, and Bernie Kopell at the unveiling of a special Hollywood Walk of Fame star to honor the show. “It was the perfect fit for me,” MacLeod said of the show in a Closer Weekly interview. “The critics said it was going to be a sinking ship, but not only were we a hit, we also gave a kick-start to the cruise industry.”

Following The Love Boat, MacLeod continued appearing on sitcoms well into the early 2000s. He can be spotted in episodes of That ’70s Show, The Suite Life on Deck, and The King of Queens. He even took guest roles in dramas like JAG and Oz. MacLeod is survived by his second wife, Patti Kending, and his four children with Rootvik.