Legendary comic Don Rickles dies at age 90

April 6, 2017 ABC News Radio

Image courtesy of the Shefrin Company(LOS ANGELES) — Legendary comic Don Rickles, who pioneered the idea of the “insult comic,” has died at age 90.

A statement to ABC News by his publicist says Rickles died Thursday morning from kidney failure.

After serving two years in the Navy during World War 2, Rickles set out to be an actor but transitioned to stand-up comedy. His put-down responses to hecklers — commonly calling them “hockey puck” — soon became his act’s signature, introducing the idea of what came to be known as the “insult comic.”

Rickles burst onto the national stage after he began appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1965. He remained a frequent guest, and it was Johnny Carson himself who dubbed Rickles “Mr. Warmth,” a nickname that stuck with him for the entirety of his career.

Rickles also appeared in films and television acting roles, including starring as a Navy chief petty officer in his own 1970s sitcom, C.P.O. Sharkey. His film roles included playing opposite Clint Eastwood in the dark war comedy Kelly’s Heroes, and co-starring with Robert De Niro in director Martin Scorsese’s 1995 drama, Casino. Rickles also provided the voice of Mr. Potato Head in the hit animated Toy Story movie franchise.

Rickles published two best-selling memoirs, in 2007 and 2008, and continued to perform stand-up until just before his passing. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2000, and in 2008, he won an Emmy for the TV documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project.

In a statement, Rickles’ close friends Bob Newhart and his wife Ginnie said of the comic, “He was called “The Merchant of Venom,” but in truth, he was one of the kindest, caring and most sensitive human beings we have ever known. We are devastated and our world will never be the same. We were totally unprepared for this.”

Rickles is survived by his wife of 52 years, Barbara, as well as their daughter, Mindy Mann, and two grandchildren. His funeral will be private, his publicist says, and requests donations in his memory to the Larry Rickles Endowment Fund at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.