Bob May, who starred in the hit 1960s TV show 'Lost in Space' as a Robot, died of congestive heart failure at a hospital in Lancaster, California, aged 69.

A veteran film actor and stuntman, who also appeared in TV shows and performed vaudeville acts onstage, Irwin Allen, the creator of 'Lost in Space', asked him to the part of the Robinson family's loyal metal sidekick in the TV series that debuted in 1965.

According to actress June Lockhart, who played the part of Maureen Robinson, the family matriarch, Bob May happened to be in the studio lot, when just like in one of those wonderful Hollywood stories, someone who saw him, sent him to Irwin Allen to audition for the part. And, Allen told May: 'If you can fit in the suit, you've got the job.'

A space-age retelling of 'The Swiss Family Robinson', we had Professor John Robinson and family on a space mission, only to have an evil Dr. Zachary Smith not only knocks and throws their craft hopelessly off course, but also becomes trapped in space with the Robinson family. The robot's warning of approaching disaster at every turn, made 'Danger, Will Robinson' to one of the children, a national catch phrase.

Bob May's grandfather was famous vaudeville comedian Chic Johnson, who introduced a two year old May to show business, when the latter began to appear in comedy revue 'Hellzapoppin'. He starred with Jerry Lewis in numerous films, appeared in TV shows like 'The Time Tunnel', 'McHale's Navy' and 'The Red Skelton Show'. He was also the stuntman for 1950s and '60s TV shows like 'Cheyenne', 'Surfside 6', 'Hawaiian Eye', 'The Roaring 20s' and 'Stagecoach'.

Not easy to get out of the Robot suit, May kept it on during breaks, even learnt his lines for the show wearing the suit, so as to know when it was time to respond to his cues. A smoker, he smoked during his breaks, amusing everyone to see smoke coming out of the robot. Particularly fond of his role as the Robot, he once said that he considered the suit a 'home away from home'.

May lost his house in November, when a wildfire destroyed their upscale mobile home park in the San Fernando Valley . He is survived by wife Judith; daughter Deborah; son Martin and four grandchildren.