Time To Make the Donuts..In Heaven

...with Jesus. And Jimi Hendrix. And my first beagle, Rebel. Rebel loved donuts.

Michael Vale, the actor best known for his portrayal of a sleepy-eyed Dunkin' Donuts baker who said "Time to make the doughnuts," has died. He was 83.

Vale's long-running character, "Fred the Baker," for the doughnut maker's ad campaign lasted 15 years until he retired in 1997.

Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin' Donuts said in a statement that Vale's character "became a beloved American icon that permeated our culture and touched millions with his sense of humor and humble nature."

(Source: AP)

And now, let's freak ourselves out by remembering Jon Lovitz' 1997 SNL skit which presaged this exact moment (Dunkin' Donuts guy is wooed by the Grim Reaper):

Michael Vale: Oh, I see.. Well, you see, I don't think that is all the people want to see!! [ angrily thrusts up the pan of doughnuts and knocks them to the floor ] Alright?! Now, they laughed along with his character for fifteen years, and now I think they want to see him die or get some tail!!

(Source: SNL transcripts)