Shecky Greene, a legend of the Las Vegas stand-up comedy scene, has died at the age of 97, said his wife of 41 years, Marie Musso Greene. Las Vegas Review-Journal and his manager Howard Rapp confirmed to PEOPLE.
Known for several performances and guest concerts at The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonGreene’s work also extended to film and other television projects, including films such as History of the World, Part I and programs like Fight! and Laverne & Shirley.
Greene’s widow told Review-Journal that her husband died of natural causes on Sunday morning, noting that he “always made humor out of everything he could”.
“He was a brilliant comedian. He hosted for 7 years and came back for his first show at the Kutchers Hotel and worked many big venues again,” Rapp said of Greene in a statement to PEOPLE. “He was fun loving again. I spoke to him last week and we had a fun conversation and he ended up with a song that included my name.”
Rapp concluded, “Many people will miss this TALENT.”
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Shecky Greene sits down with Johnny Carson on October 21, 1975.
Paul W. Bailey/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Greene, perhaps best known for his stand-up and pioneering lounge music, has worked alongside the likes of Frank Sinatra throughout his long career. Appearing frequently on talk shows and game shows from the 1950s to the 1970s, he was notably a guest on Tonight’s show extensively during Carson’s run. Per Diversityhe was a guest in more than 60 episodes of the program.
During his decades in Vegas, Greene’s headlining shows would often highlight his improvisational skills, with his sets “tailored to his audience,” according to a bio on his website.
Born Fred Sheldon Greenfield in 1926, Greene started his career in Milwaukee by way of Chicago and later went to Miami when Martha Raye asked him to play in her club, according to his biography. He eventually made it to Las Vegas, where his long list of accomplishments included introducing Elvis Presley to his first Vegas audience as Greene’s opening act in the 1950s.
According to Las Vegas Review-JournalGreene began his six decades in Vegas when he opened for Dorothy Shay in 1954 and later celebrated his final ticketed shows in the city in 2011.
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Among the many notable stories about Greene’s life used for the material, perhaps the most famous include the one where he crashed his car into the fountain outside Caesars Palace and how Sinatra saved his life when he was being beaten by five men, according to The New York Times.
On television, Greene played Pvt. Braddock at ABC Fight! in eight episodes, and later appeared in The Fall Guy and The A team in the ’80s. His film work includes appearances in 1971 A love machinein 1976 Won Ton Ton: The Dog That Saved Hollywood and Mel Brooks’ 1981 hit History of the World: Part I, in which he played Marko Vindikt.
Writer Alison Martino, a family friend of Greene’s, recalled the comedian at X (formerly Twitter) as “one of the most brilliant comics ever”.
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Source: HIS Education