HOLLYWOOD, January 23, 1966 (AP). Diminutive film and stage comedian Bobby Katz died suddenly of a heart attack while performing a pratfall on the set of a new film. A spokesperson for Allied International Films, the production company responsible for the new picture, stated that the passing of Bobby Katz comes as a great shock and a tremendous loss to the studio.

Bobby Katz, best known as Soupy Farnsworth's comic companion on stage and screen, had been currently attempting a comeback, appearing in youth-oriented films and providing his own voice for an animated series based on the Farnsworth and Katz film comedies of the 30s and 40s. He is survived by his wife, Janet, a son, Bobby Jr., 30, and a sister, Pauline.

His former comedy partners, Soupy and Bunny Farnsworth, publicly expressed their grief during a phone interview. "It's unbelievable." said Farnsworth, choking back tears. "I just saw the man two days ago and now he's dead. I just can't believe it." Former Farnsworth Four team member Milton MacMillan could not be reached for comment.

Katz was born in Ithica, NY, April 12, 1900. He first teamed with vaudeville comic Farnsworth in 1913, a partnership that lasted harmoniously for more than 30 years.