Marty Ingels, an actor, talent agent and husband of actress Shirley Jones, died Wednesday at the age of 79.
Ingels died at Tarzana Medical Center after suffering a massive stroke on Tuesday, his family announced through Edward Lozzi, Ingels’ long-time publicist.
Ingels, who married Jones in 1977, appeared in such television series as “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “Bewitched” and starred in the 1962-63 ABC comedy “I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster.”
“He often drove me crazy, but there’s not a day I won’t miss him and love him to my core,” Jones, who won a best supporting actress Oscar in 1961 for her portrayal of a prostitute in the “Elmer Gantry” and is best known for her role as the mother in the 1970-74 ABC comedy “The Partridge Family,” told Variety.
Ingels also formed his own talent agency, Ingels, Inc., which landed work in commercials for such notable actors as Orson Welles, and did voiceover work, Lozzi told City News Service.
At the time of his death, he was also in line for a producing credit on a movie about mobster John Gotti starring John Travolta, Lozzi said.
Ingels had spearheaded the film, was separated from it in 2011, but recently became re-attached to the project, Lozzi said.
“He was really rough at the edges,” Lozzi said. “Rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, but a lot of people the right way.”
Ingels also came to the financial aid of other Hollywood notables, including the late actor Mickey Rooney, Lozzi said.
“He was a friend and if you were down he would help you out, financially, or pull strings, whatever, and he never took credit for it,” Lozzi said.
Ingels was discovered by Jerry Lewis, who brought him to Hollywood from New York, Lozzi said.
“Marty wasn’t a braggart,” Lozzi said. “He liked to pontificate, (but) he just made millions of people laugh for decades.”
