Michael Polakovs, a man credited with creating and playing Ronald McDonald in several 1960s commercials, has passed on to that big play area in the sky, the Telegraph reports.

Wikipedia says it was Willard Scott and not Polakovs who created the character. The Telegraph isn’t the only media source to credit Polakovs with the creation, though, and Ronald’s official site is no help. Scott is still alive, so in that sense Ronald McDonald is doing just fine and Mayor McCheese can hoist the flag back up to full mast.

Michael Polakovs [Telegraph, via The Awl]

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