DAVID LEONARD LANDAU (LANDER)

 'Laverne & Shirley' star David Lander died on December 4, 2020, at age 73.

 

David Lander, best known for playing the role of Andrew “Squiggy” Squiggman on the hit TV series Laverne & Shirley, died on December 4, 2020, as first reported by TMZ. He was 73.

 

Lander, whose birth name was David Leonard Landau, is survived by his wife, Kathy Fields, and their daughter, actress Natalie Lander, both of whom were by his bedside at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles when he died at 6:30 p.m. Pacific time on Friday evening. His daughter, who starred on The Middle, is married to fellow actor Jared Hillman.

 

Lander’s cause of death stemmed from complications of multiple sclerosis, which the actor lived with for 35 years, according to Brain & Life. He discovered his diagnosis shortly after he finished filming his role as the comic truck driver for Milwaukee’s Shotz Brewery on the hit ’70s sitcom. Lander starred alongside Penny Marshall, Michael McKean and Cindy Williams.

 

“I remember having difficulty holding a glass,” Lander told Brain & Life in 2007. “When I dropped the glass, I’d laugh it off and attribute it to being clumsy.” In 1984, after undergoing a spinal tap, Lander was diagnosed with MS. Because he feared it would mean the end of his acting career, he kept his diagnosis a secret from the public for 15 years.

 

“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system),” according to the Mayo Clinic. “In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause permanent damage or deterioration of the nerves.”

 

While there is no cure for MS, treatments can help speed up recovery from attacks and lessen the severity of the disease. Symptoms of MS greatly vary from patient to patient depending on the amount of nerve damage and which nerves are affected. While some patients are rendered unable to walk, others can be symptom-free for long periods of time.

 

“When I was first diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, there was nothing you could do about it. Doctors would say, ‘diagnose and adios,'” Lander said. “Now, there are many treatments available to control this progressive disease.”

 

Lander Opened Up About Having MS in His Book, ‘Fall Down Laughing: How Squiggy Caught Multiple Sclerosis and Didn’t Tell Anyone’

 

Lander went on to have a lengthy career in Hollywood. He appeared in the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Steven Spielberg’s 1941 and the spoof film Scary Movie. He also starred in numerous TV shows such as On the Air, Twin Peaks, Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills, Pacific Blue and many more.

 

However, Lander finally opened up about MS with the release of his biography in 1999. In Fall Down Laughing: How Squiggy Caught Multiple Sclerosis and Didn’t Tell Anyone, the Bold and the Beautiful star revealed his struggle with MS, detailing his exercise regimen, how he joined a support group and how he tested out alternative medicines.

 

“Whatever happens, MS can’t take it all,” said Lander, who credited his wife Kathy and their daughter Natalie for being his main support system. “I will always have my heart and soul, my wit and wisdom. Wherever the chips may fall, if I fall with them I will make it a point to do so gracefully — and laughing.”

 

Lander Brought Awareness to MS Through Working With the Seattle Mariners & Became an Ambassador for the Disease

 

Lander was also determined not to let MS stop him from pursuing other dreams in life. A diehard baseball fan, in 1981 he purchased 5% of the Portland Beavers, which at the time was the Class AAA team for the Pittsburgh Pirates. When he turned 60, Lander worked as a scout for the Seattle Mariners, during which he combined his role with the MLB team along with his desire to bring awareness to MS.

 

Lander was named by the National MS Society as a National Ambassador in 2000 and continued to discuss the importance of early diagnosis and treatment by speaking about his own journey.

 

Lander tried numerous different kinds of treatments throughout the years. He took intravenous steroids and oral prednisone before trying out interferon beta-1a, also known as Avonex. In 2007, Lander was on a weekly medication treatment that focused on slowing down the progression of his disease.

 

“Most people have no idea what MS is,” Lander told Brain & Life. “One of the first things people asked me after I went public with my MS was, ‘Does this make you one of Jerry’s kids?'”