Oscar-winning actor and legendary comedian Red Buttons died on Thursday at the age of 87. The cause of death was vasuclar disease.

His publicist, Warren Cowan, said that Buttons had been ill for a while now and that his family was with him when he died, according to Reuters.

Buttons (born: Aaron Chwatt) first came to mainstream fame in 1957 with the film “Sayonara.” In it, he played a U.S. soldier caught up in a doomed interracial marriage. Buttons won a best supporting actor Oscar for his performance.

He also appeared in films like “The Longest Day,” “Stagecoach,” “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?,” and 1972’s “The Poseidon Adventure.”

His television variety show — “The Red Buttons Show” lasted for three season, starting in 1952.

His most recent on-screen appearance came in 2005, when Buttons guested on “ER.”






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