CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ron Sweed, who rose to local TV fame in the 1970s with his late-night character “The Ghoul,” has died. He was 70 years old.

Sweed’s former wife, Barbara King, announced Sweed’s death Tuesday night in a post on Facebook.

“It’s with a broken heart I am telling all my family and friends and you wonderful Ghoul fans that Ron Sweed lost his courageous five-month fight and died last night,” King says in the post.

“I cannot thank all of you enough for your outpouring of love and prayers when I first announced Ron’s heart attack five months ago. Many of you told me stories of meeting Ron or how watching his TV show cheered you up; that all meant a lot to me.”

Sweed broke into Cleveland TV in 1971 on WKBF Channel 61. He wore a lab coat and was armed with an assortment of low-rent props, from Cheez Whiz to firecrackers to flying pierogis, kielbasa and slime. He quickly was syndicated in six other markets — Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

He got his start working as an assistant for another late-night TV legend, Ernie “Ghoulardi” Anderson. He received Anderson’s permission to appear as the Ghoul in 1971.

And while Sweed often mocked Cleveland and city officials, he grew to become a legend and was honored by Mayor Frank Jackson in 2016.

“He is a Cleveland native and his contribution to the Cleveland arts community deserves recognition,” read a Certificate of Recognition from the mayor. “I invite all citizens to join me in thanking The Ghoul for sharing his talents with the Cleveland community and wishing him continued success.”