As television's "Ben Casey" in the 1960s, Vince Edwards began a tradition of handsome, brooding TV doctors that continues with stars like "ER's" George Clooney.

"He was, in life, larger than life," said Edwards' wife, Janet. "And he loved being Ben Casey, up until the end."Edwards died Monday night of pancreatic cancer at age 67.

Despite many television and movie appearances, Edwards made his name as "Ben Casey," a rare TV antihero who battled disease, the medical establishment and his own fiery nature.

The 1961-66 ABC series was a popular smash and a critical success, with Time magazine saying it accurately captured "the feeling of sleepless intensity in a metropolitan hospital."

The series had the kind of hard-driving realism that has made NBC's "ER" a major hit.

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Edwards also enjoyed the kind of fan adulation given to "ER" stars such as Clooney - and then some.

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