William Windom Dies: ‘Murder, She Wrote’ Star Dies At 88

Actor William Windom — best known for his work on television series such as Murder, She Wrote; My World And Welcome To It; and Twilight Zone — died Thursday at his home in Woodacre, California at the age of 88.

Windom’s wife Patricia tells the New York Times that the cause of death was congestive heart failure.

Born in New York City in 1923, Windom joined the army during his teenage years and served as a paratrooper in World War II. He later attended the University of Kentucky among several other higher-education institutions and decided to pursue acting.

USA Today reports that Windom’s biggest role came in short-lived NBC series My World And Welcome To It in which William played John Monroe, a writer-cartoonist for a New York magazine who relied on his fantasy life to escape a middle-class Connecticut existence. He later would take on roles in Star Trek and a handful of other popular TV shows.

Besides his memorable television series parts, Windom also spent time on theater stage, appearing in 18 Broadway plays and five off-Broadway productions including Henry VIII, Twelfth Night, Androcles and the Lion, Time Remembered, Candie, The World of Susie Wong, and Come Blow Your Horn.

CBS News notes that the award-winning actor also landed film roles including a part in To Kill a Mockingbird as the prosecuting attorney who faced off against Gregory Peck’s Atticus Finch in court. In 1968, he also starred with Frank Sinatra in The Detective, playing a homophobic killer, and received great reviews from The New York Times.

Married five times, William Windom is survived by his wife of 37 years and four children: Rachel, Heather, Hope, and Rebel.

A memorial service for the actor been scheduled for 2 pm on September 15 at Theatre West in Los Angeles, according to the Hollywood Reporter.