Alan Young, Star of Hit TV Series ‘Mr. Ed’, Dies at 96

Alan Young, who played straight man to a talking horse in the hit 1960s sitcom "Mr. Ed", has passed away at the age of 96. He died at his home on Thursday.

"Mr. Ed" premiered in 1961 and ran for four seasons. It was amongst a slew of comedies in that era that featured interesting elements of fantasy including a visiting Martian, a witch married to a mortal, and a talking car.

Young was already a well-known radio and TV comedian when he landed the role. He supposedly got the part after someone said he "looks like the kind of guy a horse would talk to."

He was married three times -- to Mary Anne Grimes, Virginia McCurdy and Mary Chipman -- and had four children.