Soupy Sales (1996 photo)Popular U.S. television comedian Soupy Sales has died.  He was 83 years old.

Sales died Thursday at a hospice in New York City.  He suffered from a number of health problems.

The U.S. comedy icon was wildly popular in the 1950s and 1960s.  He is best remembered for his pie-in-the-face acts, with thousands of pies smashed over his career.

His television career began with a 1950s children's program that developed into the popular The Soupy Sales Show.  He played a host of characters in the show, which featured puppets and popular stars.  

Celebrities including Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine appeared on his show to be splattered with a pie.  His television fame had begun to fade by the late 1960s, but he continued to appear as a guest in various television shows.

Sales was born Milton Supman in Franklinton, North Carolina, in 1926.  He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.