Calvert “Larry ‘Bud’ Melman” DeForest Dies

Calvert DeForest, the beloved actor famously known for playing the socially challenged character Larry “Bud” Melman on Late Night with David Letterman and a similar character on Late Show, has died. He was 85.

DeForest died Monday at a hospital on Long Island after battling a long illness. His death was announced by the Late Show late Wednesday. DeForest had no survivors.

DeForest was best known for his role on Late Night, though the character actor had appeared in other work, including the film Nothing Lasts Forever with Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd.

"Everyone always wondered if Calvert was an actor playing a character, but in reality he was just himself — a genuine, modest and nice man," Letterman said in a statement. "To our staff and to our viewers, he was a beloved and valued part of our show, and we will miss him."

Of his first Letterman appearance, in parody of the 1930s Frankenstein, Calvert once said: "It was the greatest thing that had happened in my life.