SO LONG, LITTLE BUDDY

Bob Denver, whose portrayal of the pratfall- and blunder-prone titular first mate on Gilligan's Island made him an iconic television figure, died Tuesday from complications of cancer treatment. He was 70. Prior to being shipwrecked with the Skipper and Professor et al., Denver gave beatniks a prime-time face as Maynard G. Krebs on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. "It's a sad, sad day," sighs Denver's Island costar Tina Louise. (Ginger). "His boyish charm worked for both children and adults. He will be so missed."