George Segal dies: star of The Goldbergs was 87

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Some sad news to report this evening. The legendary George Segal, best known to younger audiences for his on-going role as Pops on The Goldbergs has died unexpectedly at 87. Deadline reveals the cause of death being complications from a recent bypass surgery.

Segal had a nice little comeback going, but it's worth remembering that in the sixties and seventies, the guy was an Oscar-nominated mega-star. Some of his most notable roles include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, King Rat, The Owl and the Pussycat, Rollercoaster, A Touch of Class, The Terminal Man, California Split, The Hot Rock, Carbon Copy (famous for being Denzel Washington's screen debut) plus later appearances in Look Who’s Talking (he was Mikey’s deadbeat dad), To Die For, The Cable Guy, and a long-running role on NBC’s Just Shoot Me. Before The Goldbergs he also popped up in Roland Emmerich’s 2012, and recently got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Segal was also an accomplished musician, known for his banjo playing, which he often displayed on talk shows. He even cut a few albums, and would often pull out the banjo in his TV roles. 

However, he also filmed a final episode of The Goldbergs, which ABC is set to air April 7th. Rest in peace Pops.