How Did 'Bewitched' Actor Steven Franken Die? Cause Of Death Was Cancer

Actor Steve Franken has passed away, according to his wife, Jean, who said that her husband never gave up on acting, a pursuit he loved dearly.

Jean Franken told the Associated Press that Franken died in Los Angeles, Calif., at the age of on Aug. 24 after a battle with cancer, and he is survived by her and their three daughters.

Though Steve Franken was born in Queens, N.Y., in 1932, according to the AP he spent most of his life in L.A., where he was able to forge a wildly successful, decades-long acting career.

His best-known roles were probably his portrayal of Chatsworth Osborne Jr. on the show "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" and his multiple appearances on the "Bewitched" TV series. But Steve Franken was a man of many characters, and he appeared on such contemporary shows as "Seinfeld" and "The King of Queens," and in movies from 1964's "The Time Travelers" to 2009's "Angels and Demons," according to the Internet Movie Database. He was also a successful stage actor, the AP reported.

Craig Harvey, the chief coroner investigator and chief of operations for the County of Los Angeles Department of Coroner, discussed the case in an e-mail on Thursday shortly after news broke of Steve Franken's passing, that

"His death has not been reported to the Coroner. At the age of 80, it likely won't be," Harvey wrote. "There is still a small chance, but as of right now, it has not and we have no information about his death."

A public memorial will be held Sept. 22 at L.A.'s Theatre West, the AP reports.