"He put up a valiant fight with lung cancer, emphysema and pneumonia," Mrs. Gorshin said in a statement.
Despite dozens of TV and movie credits, Gorshin will be foreverremembered for his role as the Riddler, Adam West's villainous foil inthe question mark-pocked green suit and bowler hat on "Batman" from1966 to '69.
"It really was a catalyst for me," Gorshin recalled in a 2002Associated Press interview. "I was nobody. I had done some guest shotshere and there. But after I did that, I became a headliner in Vegas, soI can't put it down."
West said the death of his longtime friend was a big loss.
"Frank will be missed," West said in a statement. "He was a friend and fascinating character."
Gorshin earned another Emmy nomination for one for a guest shot on"Star Trek," a 1969 episode called "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield."
In 2002, Gorshin portrayed George Burns on Broadway in the one-man show"Say Goodnight Gracie." He used only a little makeup and noprosthetics. The show came to Denver at the Buell Theatre in August of2004.
"I don't know how to explain it. It just comes," he said. "I wish Icould say, 'This is step A, B and C.' But I can't do that. I do it, youknow. The ironic thing is I've done impressions all my life - I neverdid George Burns."
Gorshin's final performance will be broadcast on Thursday's CBS series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."
Born in Pittsburgh, Gorshin broke into show business in New York. Hedid more than 40 impressions, including Al Jolson, Kirk Douglas, BobbyDarin, Dean Martin and James Cagney.
Later, he took his impressions to "The Ed Sullivan Show" on a memorableevening - the same night the Beatles were featured. He did impressionsin Las Vegas showrooms, opening for Darin and paving the way for otherimpressionists like Rich Little.
Sammy Davis Jr. said it was Gorshin who taught him to do impressions, Wostbrock said.
"He said you had to look like them and walk like them. Once you get that down, the voice comes easy," he said.
Gorshin's movie roles included "Bells are Ringing" (1960) with his idolDean Martin and a batch of fun B-movies such as "Hot Rod Girl" (1956),"Dragstrip Girl" (1957) and "Invasion of the Saucer Men" (1957).
"He was fun, fascinating, wild and always a class act," Wostbrock said."Here's a guy who always wore great clothes, stood up when a womanwalked into the room - he was a gentleman. We did all our deals with ahandshake. There was never a signed contract."
His other TV credits included roles on "General Hospital, "The Edge ofNight" and "The Munsters" as well as guest appearances on "Donny amp;Marie,""The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,""Late Night with ConanO'Brien,""Lois amp; Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,""Murder,She Wrote,""The Fall Guy,""Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,""WonderWoman,""Charlie's Angels" and "Police Woman."
Besides his wife, Gorshin leaves his son Mitchell Gorshin of Orlando, Fla., and sister Dottie Roland of Pittsburgh.
Wostbrock said the funeral would be private and Gorshin would be buried in the family plot in Pittsburgh.
/>
