Comedian and actor Jerry Lewis dies at age 91

Comic actor Jerry Lewis died Sunday in Las Vegas after an entertainment career highlighted by his stage-to-screen collaborations with Dean Martin in the 1950s and decades of hosting the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Labor Day Telethon. Lewis, who had battled pulmonary fibrosis, heart issues, a debilitating back problem, and addiction to painkillers, died of natural causes, according to his publicist. He was 91. Born Joseph Levitch, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, on March 16, 1926, in Newark, N.J., Lewis made his first stage appearance at age 5 in his parents’ musical act. By 15, Lewis bridged the gap between the pure physicality of vaudeville and the more nuanced physical comedy that later defined his film work. When Lewis was 20 and performing in Atlantic City, N.J., he met Martin, forming a popular nightclub act that exploded nationally with recordings, radio and television appearances, and 16 motion pictures. In 1956, the pair shocked fans by suddenly and bitterly ending their partnership. After the split, Lewis continued making movies, including The Bellboy (1960) and The Nutty Professor (1963). In 1976, mutual friend Frank Sinatra reunited the two during a MDA telethon. Lewis said one of his most prized possessions was a plaque given him by President John F. Kennedy that read: “There are three things that are real … God, human folly, and laughter. Since the first two are beyond our comprehension, we must do the best we can with the third.” Five of Lewis’ six sons, one daughter, and his second wife, SanDee Pitnick, survive him.