Before it ever had its own theme song, Happy Days opened with Bill Haley and His Comets playing “Rock Around the Clock.” By 1975, the show had swapped in the bouncy “Happy Days” theme by Pratt and McClain, and a generation of kids learned to sing along with “Sunday, Monday, happy days” before they could spell Milwaukee. Garry Marshall’s sitcom premiered on ABC on January 15, 1974. It ran for 11 seasons and 255 episodes, airing its final episode in July 1984.
The Happy Days cast turned a nostalgic look at the 1950s into a weekly ritual for families in the 1970s. Arnold’s became the hangout everyone wanted, and the Cunningham kitchen felt like home. The set was famously modest too; Marshall even had the cast share one bathroom. More than four decades after the last episode, here is what happened to the people who lived in that world, starting with the stars we have lost and ending with the ones still with us.
Is Pat Morita Still Alive?
Pat Morita played Matsuo “Arnold” Takahashi, the owner of Arnold’s Drive-In, starting in 1975. When he left after one season, Al Molinaro took over the counter, though Morita returned for later episodes. Born June 28, 1932, in northern California, Morita spent part of his childhood in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II.
His biggest role came after Milwaukee. As Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid (1984), he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He also voiced the Emperor in Disney’s Mulan in 1998. Pat Morita died on November 24, 2005, at his home in Las Vegas. He was 73. His wife, Evelyn, said he died of natural causes, according to NPR.
Is Tom Bosley Still Alive?
Tom Bosley was Howard Cunningham, the Milwaukee hardware store owner who ran the household with a calm voice and a dry joke. Bosley had already won a Tony Award on Broadway for Fiorello! before he ever sat in Howard’s armchair. In 2004, TV Guide ranked Howard No. 9 on its list of the 50 greatest TV dads.
After the show, Bosley played Sheriff Amos Tupper on Murder, She Wrote and then led Father Dowling Mysteries from 1989 to 1991. Tom Bosley died on October 19, 2010, at a hospital near his Palm Springs home. He was 83. Fox News reported the cause as heart failure, and his agent, Sheryl Abrams, said he had also been battling lung cancer.
Is Al Molinaro Still Alive?
Al Molinaro joined the show in 1976 as Al Delvecchio, the new owner of Arnold’s, with his catchphrase “Yep, yep, yep.” Garry Marshall already knew him well. Molinaro had played Officer Murray Greshler on Marshall’s The Odd Couple from 1970 to 1975.
He stayed close to his castmates after the cameras stopped. In 1987 he and Anson Williams opened a diner chain called Big Al’s. He reprised Al Delvecchio in Weezer’s 1994 “Buddy Holly” music video, which dropped the band into Arnold’s. He also filmed dozens of commercials for On-Cor frozen foods. Al Molinaro died on October 30, 2015, in Glendale, California, at age 96. His son said he died of complications from gallbladder problems, according to the Associated Press.
Is Erin Moran Still Alive?
Erin Moran grew up on camera as Joanie Cunningham, Richie’s kid sister. She was 13 when the show premiered. In 1982 she and Scott Baio headlined the spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi, which lasted 17 episodes before she returned to Happy Days for its final season.
Later work came in guest spots on The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote. Erin Moran died on April 22, 2017, at her home in New Salisbury, Indiana. She was 56. A joint statement from the Harrison County sheriff and coroner said she “likely succumbed to complications of stage 4 cancer,” according to CBS News. Henry Winkler wrote on Twitter, “OH Erin… now you will finally have the peace you wanted so badly here on earth.”
Is Gavan O’Herlihy Still Alive?
Gavan O’Herlihy played Chuck Cunningham, Richie’s older brother, in season one. Randolph Roberts took over the part in season two, and then Chuck simply vanished from the family. The disappearance gave TV fans the phrase “Chuck Cunningham Syndrome” for characters who are never mentioned again.
O’Herlihy built a long career after the show, often playing villains. His films included Superman III and Never Say Never Again, and Ron Howard directed him as Airk in Willow (1988). He later settled in England. Gavan O’Herlihy died on September 15, 2021, in Bath, England, at age 70. His brother Cormac confirmed the death and did not disclose a cause, according to WFTV. Howard remembered him as “a talented actor with a big free spirit.”
Is Cathy Silvers Still Alive?
Cathy Silvers played Jenny Piccalo, Joanie’s boy-crazy best friend. Fans had heard about Jenny for years before she finally appeared on screen. Silvers is the daughter of Phil Silvers, TV’s Sergeant Bilko, and she later appeared in the 1996 Sgt. Bilko movie starring Steve Martin.
Yes, Cathy Silvers is still alive. She stepped back from acting in the late 1990s and wrote the 2007 book Happy Days Healthy Living. A vegan, she has run a business delivering organic produce from farmers’ markets around Los Angeles County. She made headlines in 2020 when she broke two bones in her leg on a hike in the Santa Clarita canyons, as Fox News reported.
Is Lynda Goodfriend Still Alive?
Lynda Goodfriend first appeared in small roles before Garry Marshall cast her as Lori Beth Allen, Richie’s girlfriend and later his wife. She played Lori Beth from 1977 until the show ended. Ron Howard told MeTV she had “a great, winning smile and this wonderful quality, and so she stuck as a running character.”
Yes, Lynda Goodfriend is still alive. Marshall kept casting her, including roles in Beaches and Pretty Woman. Today she shapes young actors instead. She founded the Actors Workout studio in North Hollywood and has led the acting for film program at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, where she now holds the title of creative director.
Is Ted McGinley Still Alive?
Ted McGinley arrived in 1980 as Roger Phillips, Marion’s nephew and the new teacher at Jefferson High. He became a main cast member as the show’s later seasons reshuffled the gang. Born May 30, 1958, McGinley went on to The Love Boat and to play neighbor Jefferson D’Arcy on Married… with Children.
Yes, Ted McGinley is still alive, and he is 68. He is having one of the best runs of his career as Derek on Apple TV’s Shrinking. Season three ran from January to April 2026 and gave Derek his deepest storylines yet. McGinley told Louisville Public Media that viewers “finally get to see that Derek isn’t just this smiley face.”
Is Linda Purl Still Alive?
Linda Purl played two different parts on the show. In season two she was Gloria, one of Richie’s girlfriends. In season 10 she returned as Ashley Pfister, a divorced mother who became Fonzie’s steady girlfriend. Purl later became a familiar face as Charlene Matlock on Matlock.
Yes, Linda Purl is still alive. Born September 2, 1955, she is 71 and works mostly as a singer and stage actress now. In May 2026 she performed with music director Tedd Firth at Glazer Hall in Palm Beach. She is also in a relationship with Dallas star Patrick Duffy, a friend of more than 45 years, as Parade reported. Our readers saw her step out at 71 in September.
Is Scott Baio Still Alive?
Scott Baio joined in 1977 as Chachi Arcola, Fonzie’s cousin, and quickly became a teen idol. After Joanie Loves Chachi, he starred in Charles in Charge from 1984 to 1990.
Yes, Scott Baio is still alive. Born September 22, 1960, he is 66. In 2023, he moved his family from California to Florida, according to Fox Business. He now hosts a weekly podcast, Scott Baio’s Take On Life. We looked at his life away from Hollywood earlier this fall.
Is Don Most Still Alive?
Don Most played Ralph Malph, the class clown who always followed a bad joke with “I still got it!” He left the show in 1980, the same year Ron Howard did. Since then, he has acted, directed two independent films, and rebuilt his career as a swing and pop singer.
Yes, Don Most is still alive. Born August 8, 1953, he is 73. On August 7, 2026, the night before his birthday, he made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. “The history of that place is amazing, and so many greats have performed there through the years,” he told Yahoo, as quoted by Hello! magazine.
Is Anson Williams Still Alive?
Anson Williams was Warren “Potsie” Weber, Richie’s sweet but dim best friend with the surprisingly good singing voice. Behind the camera, he became a busy TV director, with episodes of Melrose Place, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
Yes, Anson Williams is still alive. Born September 25, 1949, he turned 77 last month. In 2022, he ran for mayor of Ojai, California, and lost by 42 votes. He married memoirist Sharon MaHarry in May 2023. He recently shared a message about aging well, crediting kindness, adventure, and staying active, as reported by The Daily Beast and in our story on his post.
Is Ron Howard Still Alive?
Ron Howard was already famous as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show when he became Richie Cunningham. He left Happy Days after season seven in 1980 to direct full time. That gamble produced Splash, Cocoon, Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, which won him the Oscar for Best Director.
Yes, Ron Howard is still alive. Born March 1, 1954, he is 72 and still working at full speed. This year he released Avedon, a Netflix documentary about photographer Richard Avedon. His next feature, Alone at Dawn with Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway, is set for 2027, according to Hello! magazine.
Is Henry Winkler Still Alive?
Henry Winkler’s Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli started as a supporting greaser and became the show’s breakout star. One thumbs-up and an “Ayyy” were enough to bring the house down. After the show, Winkler produced and directed, then had a late-career renaissance. He won his first Emmy in 2018 for playing acting teacher Gene Cousineau on HBO’s Barry.
Yes, Henry Winkler is still alive. Born October 30, 1945, he has turned 81 on October 30. He hosts Hazardous History on the History Channel and keeps writing children’s books with Lin Oliver. At the Television Academy’s Televerse festival in August, he said he would happily join a Taylor Sheridan western. “I would leave here right now and go and get on that horse,” he told KMPH.
Is Marion Ross Still Alive?
Marion Ross was Marion Cunningham, the mom who could quiet the Fonz with one look. She earned two Emmy nominations for the role. Later she played Drew Carey’s mother on The Drew Carey Show and voiced Grandma SquarePants on SpongeBob SquarePants, returning to that role as recently as 2024.
Yes, Marion Ross is still alive, and she is the eldest of the surviving Happy Days cast. Born October 25, 1928, in Watertown, Minnesota, she is 97 and turns 98 on October 25. She has been retired from screen work since 2021, according to Hello! magazine. Last October her son, actor Jim Meskimen, shared photos of her blowing out her 97th birthday candles. Henry Winkler joined in, calling his TV mother a “magnificent woman”. Both of her children followed her into show business.
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