Actor Bob Denver of "Gilligan's Island" fame is dead.

Denver was 70 years old.

His agent says Denver's wife and four children were at his side when he died in North Carolina, where he'd undergone heart bypass surgery earlier this year and was undergoing treatment for cancer.

Denver realized long ago he'd probably never escape the goofy character that made him recognizable to generations of TV viewers, but he said he had made peace with being known as Gilligan, because he said fans were always so nice to him.

In addition to numerous film appearances, Denver appeared on television shows that included "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," "The Good Guys" and "Dusty's Trail".