NEW YORK -- Larry Linville, best known for his portrayal of the power-hungry and neurotic Maj. Frank Burns on the CBS show "M*A*S*H," died Monday at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He was 60.
Linville suffered from cancer and had a lung removed in 1998 after a malignant tumor was discovered. Longtime manager Barry Greenberg of Los Angeles said Linville was hospitalized Sunday and died of complications of pneumonia.Linville was a native of Ojai, Calif., and had been living in New York.
"He was wonderfully refreshing and irreverent but always a very talented and professional guy," Greenberg said. "He took this cancer thing better than anybody I've ever seen."
Linville was part of a breakout cast that made "M*A*S*H" one of the longest-running shows on television. He starred with Alan Alda, Gary Burghoff and Wayne Rogers as part of an ensemble that launched the show in 1972, on the heels of the hit movie of the same name.
Linville's character was best known for his extramarital affair with head nurse Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, played by Loretta Swit.
"My scenes with Loretta were quite extraordinary because we were a team," he told CBS radio. "We were Mutt and Jeff, Roadrunner and Coyote, whatever, we were a proper pair."
He left "M*A*S*H" after the fifth season and went on to guest star on numerous television series.
He is survived by his wife, Deborah.