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Comedic Legend Jerry Lewis Has Died At The Age Of 91

There is no easy way to write an obituary for Jerry Lewis. He was a comedic genius that could make people laugh in any language or with no words at all. He was brilliant, zany, with a huge heart… and had some very controversial moments later in his career. He broke onto the scene with the great Dean Martin as one of the most popular comedy duos of all time. The two worked together in a textbook straight man/silly man style that hearkened back to the best days of Vaudeville. And though they fought off camera, on the big screen the two ruled the 1950s.

Comedic Legend Jerry Lewis Has Died At The Age Of 91

In the 1956, they parted ways. Martin becoming one of the Rat Pack while Lewis starred in hit after hit — The Bell Boy, The Nutty Professor, The Geisha Boy, Cinderfella, The Ladies Man, and on and on. He also began hosting the MDA telethons where he would be on screen for the majority of a three-day weekend, doing jokes, singing, hosting. Lewis spent over 50 years as national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He did everything he could to raise money for the children in need. The feud between Martin and Lewis carried on until 1976, when Frank Sinatra surprised Lewis by bringing Martin on the show. The two were able to finally get beyond their falling out.

Lewis would go on in his later years to take on a few serious roles, on the series Wiseguy and playing the uncle of Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer) on Law & Order: SVU.

Jerry Lewis

Lewis survived many ailments in the later years of his life. Open heart surgery in 1983, prostate cancer in 1992, and he dealt with prescription drug dependency in 2003. He suffered a heart attack in 2006 and had an ongoing bout with pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease for which he took Prednisone, causing his face and body to balloon. Lewis passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas.

Lewis was a comedic genius, and in the 1960s, the studios just let him do whatever he wanted — because they knew it would make money. Even a movie where he doesn't say a word… he was beloved around the world, though maybe the most in France. We lost Dean Martin in 1995, today we lost Jerry Lewis, and tonight, the theater in Heaven will be standing room only.


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Dan WicklineAbout Dan Wickline

Has quietly been working at Bleeding Cool for over three years. He has written comics for Image, Top Cow, Shadowline, Avatar, IDW, Dynamite, Moonstone, Humanoids and Zenescope. He is the author of the Lucius Fogg series of novels and a published photographer.
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