Don Rickles dead at 90

[groveChuck]

The first insult comic (?) died of kidney failure.
... he insulted his kidneys, and they quit.



Don Rickles, Equal Opportunity Offender of Comedy, Dies at 90 https://nyti.ms/2oO7Aj4

 

[Capt Quirk]

That is sad...

 

[DLD]

Don would have been 91 in a month. From the Rat Pack era, only Jerry Lewis is still around. He's two months older.

I once worked with a guy who happened to be present at a Bar Mitzvah, where Don was one of the guests (his own Bar Mitzvah was in 1939). Mr. Warmth was, apparently, far too nice for an average human being, let alone the greatest practitioner of the insult humor.

His best friend was Bob Newhart. I once spent about an hour with Bob. Bob's known as the "nicest man in Hollywood" and that was definitely the case as well.

 

[DLD]

So, I am going to slightly embellish the story Jimmy Kimmel told last night ... (he was short for time) ... Jimmy and Don were, apparently, very close ...

the long time besties the Rickles and the Newharts go to some swanky restaurant in Beverly Hills .. the place is super expensive and super pristine .. white walls, white table cloths, fine china everywhere ... a few tables away from the dining quartet's table is Frank Sinatra, who's in a foul mood already and drinking heavily ... and not eating much ... just drinking.... a waiter puts down a bottle of tomato sauce in front of him ... Frank begins to yell ... when he doesn't get the reply he likes, he picks up the bottle and tosses it against the wall... it shatters on impact, immediately splattering its contents on whoever was sitting in the vicinity ... the restaurant goes quiet ... its patrons aren't used to such a boorish behavior but no one dares to say anything to the Chairman of the Board ... except Rickles, obviously ... Don turns to Sinatra and says, "hey, Frank, could you pass the ketchup?" ... Sinatra begins laughing hysterically ... the situation is diffused ...