Ron Glass Passsd Away!

Tonight we mourn the loss of a familiar face in television. If you grew up in the 1970s and 1990s, you would remember Ron Glass. Ron was the critically acclaimed actor who played Dt. Ron Harris in the classic sitcom Barney Miller. He was a featured player on many shows such as Firefly, Rugrats (including spin-off All Grown Up), Teen Angel, The New Odd Couple and Mr. Rhodes.

The veteran television and film actor died Saturday of respiratory failure at age 71, his agent told NBC News.

"Ron was a private, gentle and caring man," said Jeffrey Leavitt, Glass' agent. "He was an absolute delight to watch on screen. Words cannot adequately express my sorrow."

Any avid TV watcher of the last 35 years or so is likely familiar with Glass' face. He is perhaps best known for his Emmy-nominated role as NYPD Det. Ron Harris on the classic cop sitcom "Barney Miller," which aired from 1975 to 1982 on ABC.

Glass is the second cast member from that critically acclaimed show to have passed away this year. The irascible and iconic Abe Vigoda, who played Det. Phil Fish for part of the sitcom's run, died in January at age 94.

For a younger generation of TV viewers, Glass was a standout as the deeply religious preacher Derrial Brook on the 2002 cult science fiction show "Firefly," which was eventually spun off into 2005 feature film — "Serenity" — co-starring Glass.

In real life, the Indiana-born actor was a devout Buddhist and an active member of the SGI-USA Friendship Center in Los Angeles.