EDWARD KEAN, who helped create America's beloved HOWDY DOODY SHOW, has died at the age of 85.
Kean passed away at a nursing care facility in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan on 13 August (10).
He was the primary writer for the popular kids series, which ran from 1947 to 1960, and was responsible for the It's Howdy Doody theme song.
Kean is also credited with creating the pop culture phrase "kowabunga!", used by one of the show's characters and reclaimed as The Simpsons animated troublemaker Bart Simpson's catchphrase.