TV Scrubs and Cougar Town actor Sam Lloyd dies at 56 By Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight, is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen. EW's editorial guidelines Updated on May 4, 2020 10:41AM EDT Photo: Trae Patton/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Sam Lloyd, the actor best known for his portrayal of hangdog lawyer Ted Buckland on Scrubs, died April 30 of complications from lung cancer. He was 56. Lloyd's wife, Vanessa Lloyd, said in a statement provided to EW, "Our family is devastated. It doesn't feel real. It never will. It just feels like he will walk through the door. The overwhelming outpouring of love and sharing your stories about working with or knowing Sam keeps his memory alive and our hearts strong. Sam loved his work. I want to continue his legacy, and hope to share some of the beautiful songs he was working on for his musical and our son, Weston." Lloyd was diagnosed with cancer in January 2019, sparking a GoFundMe campaign supported by friends, colleagues, and fans. A steady screen presence for three decades, Lloyd appeared in a litany of movies and TV shows, including Cougar Town, Modern Family, Desperate Housewives, The West Wing, and Galaxy Quest. He came from an acting family. His father, Sam Lloyd III, was also an actor, and he was the nephew of Back to the Future's Christopher Lloyd. Lloyd appeared on screen with his uncle multiple times, guest-starring together on Malcolm in the Middle and The West Wing. Lloyd was beloved for his portrayal of singing attorney Ted Buckland on NBC's Scrubs, which he played in 95 episodes and reprised on ABC's Cougar Town. He had a memorable extended role as Dr. Albert Goldfine, Bree's (Marcia Cross) marriage counselor, on Desperate Housewives. Seinfeld fans will also recognize him as Ricky, the guy who became obsessed with Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and designed mannequins that resembled her after meeting her on the subway. The actor was also known for his musical work; his a cappella group the Blanks appeared several times on Scrubs, and he was a member of a Beatles tribute band called the Butties. Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence paid tribute to Lloyd with a Twitter post: "Thinking a lot about Sam Lloyd today. (Ted). Truly such a kind, sweet guy. He will be missed by so many." Star Zach Braff also paid tribute to Lloyd, writing, "Rest In Peace to one of the funniest actors I’ve ever had the joy of working with. Sam Lloyd made me crack up and break character every single time we did a scene together. He could not have been a kinder man. I will forever cherish the time I had with you, Sammy." Related content: Stars we lost in 2020 Scrubs actor Sam Lloyd diagnosed with lung cancer, brain tumor