'Odd Couple' model Gerber dead at 82

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Talent manager Roy Gerber, who was playwright Neil Simon's model for the "Odd Couple" character Oscar Madison, died in California this week at age 82.

The retired talent agent, whose mannerisms were later introduced to Broadway by actor Walter Matthau, died of complications from a brain tumor in Beverly Hills, Calif., the Los Angeles Times said Saturday.

In the early 1960s, Gerber separated from his wife and became roommates with Simon's brother, Danny, and from there the fictional mix-matched comedy pair was born.

Gerber's son, Bill, said his father truly embodied the spirit of Madison, while his new comedy writer roommate had all the neat habits of Madison's counterpart, Felix Unger.

"He was sloppy. He was a womanizer. He was the life of the party," he said of his father, who died Tuesday. "Danny was literally anal-retentive. He did the cooking, the cleaning."

Including his son, Gerber is survived by his wife, Terrie; another son, Bobby; two daughters, Missy and Pam; a brother, Jay; and eight grandchildren.