Ray Goulding, the barrel-chested, burlier half of the legendary comedy team Bob and Ray, has died at his home, relatives said. The comedian was 68.
Goulding died in his sleep Saturday of kidney failure, said his son, Bryant, 31. He had been in failing health for the past several years, Bryant said."He couldn't help but think funny," Bryant Goulding said. "His mind always had a smile."
Goulding worked with some of the most famous names in broadcasting during a storied half-century career. Johnny Carson was a longtime fan.
"He was just a hilarious person - and we're not talking about falling down the stairs," his son said. "He had a knack for exaggerating the irrelevant and laughing at it."
The native of Lowell, Mass., was born March 22, 1922, and followed his elder brother, Phillip, into broadcasting when he was 17.
He served in the Army during World War II and met his future partner, Bob Elliott, when both were working at radio station WHDH in Boston in the late 1940s.
That team - the genesis of Bob and Ray - proved so popular that NBC offered the two a contract in 1951 and moved them to New York.
In their heyday during the 1950s, Bob and Ray were on the air 18 hours a week. The also worked for CBS and the Mutual Broadcasting Network.
The pair developed an ad-lib style that included spoofs of their own sponsors. In one classic spot, they urged listeners to write in for a special offer on turtleneck or V-neck sweaters with the advice, "Please state what kind of neck you have."
Funeral was scheduled Wednesday in Manhasset.