Naked Gun star Leslie Nielsen dies

John S. Kelly, the star's agent, released a statement saying he died from complications from pneumonia at 5:34 p.m. with his wife and friends at hand.

"We are saddened by the passing of beloved actor Leslie Nielsen, probably best remembered as Lt. Frank Drebin in 'The Naked Gun' series of pictures, but who enjoyed a more than 60-year career in motion pictures and television," he said.

Nielsen starred in over 100 films and got his start in dramatic films before becoming a household name after his part in the classic spoof movie Airplane! 

Shortly after that success, NBC cast him as Lt. Frank Drebin in the short-lived spoof show Police Squad, which made fun of such cop dramas as Dragnet.

The show was however cancelled after only four episodes, but a few years later the Frank Drebin character was given a new life in The Naked Gun - a huge success and spawned two sequels.

Nielsen also starred as a couple of captains in two cinematic classics: as the captain of a rescue ship in the groundbreaking Sci-Fi epic ‘Forbidden Planet’; and as the captain of a capsized cruise ship in ‘The Poseidon Adventure’.

Leslie Nielsen was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada on February 11, 1926. He was married four times and had two daughters with his second wife.