(CNN) Adrian Cronauer, the former US airman whose radio show provided the inspiration for Robin Williams' character in "Good Morning, Vietnam" has died, his family said.

Cronauer passed away Wednesday in a Virginia nursing home of an "age-related illness," his daughter-in-law Mary Muse told CNN. He was 79 years old.

"Adrian was warm and approachable. He loved the service men and service women all over the world, and always made time to personally engage with them. Although he was an only child, his military brothers and sisters became part of his family," his family said in a statement.

Adrian Cronauer in 1987

A former US Air Force sergeant, Cronauer coauthored the original story for the 1987 dramedy "Good Morning, Vietnam." Williams starred as an irreverent disc jockey loosely based on Cronauer, borrowing his name and the boisterous sign-in -- "Gooooooood Morning, Vietnam!" -- that became a tagline of the era.

Otherwise, Cronauer would later say that the antics and energy that made Williams' role memorable were not part of the real Cronauer's experience. He battled censorship and orders for conservative programming. But he did not openly defy his superiors, as Williams' character did, or befriend the Viet Cong -- not as far as he knew, he once joked.

Read More