Classic comic actor Leslie Nielsen dead at 84

Veteran comedy actor Leslie Nielsen, star of the hit movies "Airplane" and "Naked Gun" has died, a Canadian radio station reported, quoting his nephew. He was 84.

"With his friends and his wife by his side, he just fell asleep and passed away," Doug Nielsen told a Manitoba radio station, adding that he had died due to complications from pneumonia.

With a career starting in television in the 1950s, Nielsen became famous for his deadpan performances in spoofs such as the 1980 hit "Airplane!".

The "Naked Gun" franchise, in a similar vein, made millions of dollars in box offices worldwide.