Dana Elcar Dies At 77

DANA ELCAR, one of the stars on hit TV show MACGYVER has died in a California hospital of complications from pneumonia. He was 77.

The actor teamed up with RICHARD DEAN ANDERSON in the series, which ran from 1985 to the early 1990s and even had his real-life battle with blindness incorporated into the script.

Elcar, who suffered from glaucoma, told producers he was losing his sight, so they adapted his character, PETE THORNTON, to match his medical condition. By the time the show ended, Elcar was almost completely blind.

Among Elcar's other TV hits are BARETTA, in which he starred alongside Robert Blake, and BLACK SHEEP SQUADRON.

He also appeared in movies The Sting and THE LEARNING TREE.