Today, May 11th, it has been reported that actor, comedian and veteran, Jerry Stiller, has passed away. Stiller is said to have died of natural causes, according to his son, Ben Stiller. The superstar was 92 years old.
Ben Stiller took to Twitter to break the news to fans, “He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad,” the tweet read.
I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad. pic.twitter.com/KyoNsJIBz5
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) May 11, 2020
Jerry Stiller’s most recent work was when he played Arthur on the hit sitcom “King of Queens.” The Arthur character was just as wacky and hugh strung as playing George Costanza’s dad on Seinfeld.
Stiller earned an 1997 Emmy nomination for his indelible “Seinfeld” performance. In a 2005 Esquire interview, Stiller recalled that he was out of work and not the first choice for the role of Frank Costanza, father to Jason Alexander’s neurotic George.
While he was known as a nut-job father on the small screen, Stiller and wife Meara raised two children in their longtime home on Manhattan’s Upper West Side: daughter Amy, who became an actress, and son Ben, who became a writer, director and actor in such films as “Dodgeball,” “There’s Something About Mary” and “Meet the Parents.”
Jerry Stiller was a multi-talented performer who appeared in an assortment of movies, playing Walter Matthau’s police sidekick in the thriller “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” and Divine’s husband, Wilbur Turnblad in John Waters’ twisted comedy “Hairspray.”
He also wrote an autobiography, “Married to Laughter,” about his 50-plus year marriage to soul mate and comedic cohort Meara, who died in 2015.Stiller joined “Seinfeld” in 1993 and moved on to “King of Queens” when the other Jerry & co. went off the air in 1998.
Jerry is survived by his daughter, Amy Stiller, an actress and comedian; a sister, Doreen; and two grandchildren.
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