Robert Culp Of 'I Spy' Dies At Age 79 After Fall

Sad news out of Los Angeles for many of us Baby Boomers. Robert Culp, who starred with Bill Cosby in the ground-breaking hit 1960s TV series "I Spy" has died, reportedly after a fall as he walked near his Hollywood home.

The show made TV history during its 1965 to 1968 run for being the first non-comedy (it was an action-drama) to have an African-American star.

The Los Angeles Times has details:

Actor Robert Culp, best known for his role as an international tennis star and globe-trotting secret agent in the hit 1960s television series "I Spy," died Wednesday morning after a fall at his Hollywood home, authorities said.

The 79-year-old actor was rushed to Queen of Angels hospital shortly after 11 a.m. after hitting his head while taking a walk outside his home in the 1800 block of El Cerrito Place, said LAPD Lt. Bob Binder. He was found by a jogger who called 911, and paramedics, patrol officers and detectives responded to the scene.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later. A preliminary investigation found "that his death is accidental and there appears to be no sign of foul play," Binder said. An autopsy by the Los Angeles County Coroner's office is pending.

Culp broke into Hollywood in the late 1950s but catapulted to fame playing Kelly Robinson in the hourlong 1965-68 espionage series "I Spy," which was shot in exotic locales around the world.

The Archive of American Television has posted on YouTube interviews it conducted with Robert Culp in 2007. Here's a sample.

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