Ed Sullivan fans can breathe easy after a statue of the legendary television host was recovered on Thursday.
The statue had been reported stolen from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood, Calif., earlier last week. According to CNN, the bronze statues was found by Los Angeles police “in good condition.” Authorities declined to offer any other details about the case.
According to Deadline, the statue is “estimated to be worth $45,000, making it grand theft,” and while it is back in the Academy’s Hall of Fame Plaza exhibit along with statues of other television legends, the LAPD investigation into the theft remains ongoing.
Sullivan, born in 1901, became the face of television just as the medium was taking off in mid-century America. “The Ed Sullivan Show” would air for over two decades and was credited with boosting the careers of such musical luminaries as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones.
The Beatles hanging out before their first Ed Sullivan show performance, 1964. #TheBeatles #JohnLennon pic.twitter.com/uYOGBQvyqd
— Gary McKeon (@BeatlesByDay) October 6, 2014
It was fifty years ago this year that the Beatles made their U.S. television debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” appearing three times that year. Their first show on February 9 was watched by over 70 million Americans, and is widely credited with sparking Beatlemania across the country.
https://twitter.com/History_In_Pix/status/518449300003905536
The Beatles during their first appearance on US television, on the Ed Sullivan Show. pic.twitter.com/if2IVQHAOZ
— History In Pictures (@EpicHistoryPics) October 4, 2014
And it was also later that year that The Rolling Stones appeared on the program for the first time. The band would go on to be a frequent guest of the show after their October 25, 1964 debut.
The Rolling Stones on The Ed Sullivan Show, 1969 pic.twitter.com/yNKFOiTryj
— History In Pictures (@HistoryInPics) September 30, 2014
Sullivan’s show was cancelled in 1971 and he would die three years later. But his legacy lived on, and at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, did so in the form of a 20 pound, 18-inch-tall bronze statue atop a pedestal in an outdoor exhibit.
Ed Sullivan Statue Stolen from Academy of Television Arts And Sciences' Hall of Fame Plaza http://t.co/SHOTAq3sOO pic.twitter.com/f9JcdnNaxX
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) September 30, 2014
The statue was reported missing on Sunday, September 28, which also happened to be Ed Sullivan’s birthday.
[photo credit: Maurice Carnes LaClaire]September 28, 1901 – Ed Sullivan known as the presenter of the TV program, 'The Ed Sullivan Show' is born in NYC pic.twitter.com/HLB2NtUDjP
— OnThisDay & Facts (@NotableHistory) September 28, 2014