Ron Glass, whose extensive TV credits included the beloved Firefly, has died of respiratory failure, according to The Wrap. In more recent years, Glass was known as the religious and sage Shepherd Book on Joss Whedon’s short-lived space Western, a role that he reprised in the feature film Serenity. However, Glass’ career spanned decades, and his other iconic part was that of Sgt. Ron Harris on the long-running Barney Miller. He spent eight seasons on the sitcom, and shortly thereafter he became Felix Unger on The New Odd Couple. Glass also did voice work, and his intonations will be known to Nickelodeon fans as Rugrats’ Randy Carmichael.
Glass’s Firefly co-stars have been sharing their memories of him on Twitter. Nathan Fillion posted:
Alan Tudyk wrote: “Ron Glass was one of the greatest actors to work with. His laugh was beyond infectious and his generosity was ever present.” Tudyk also added: “Ron Glass was also a sassy smart ass and I prize that very much. A leaf on the wind.” Glass was 71 years old.