Comedian Jerry Stiller dies at age 92

Jerry Stiller, the punchy Jewish comedian who delivered some of the most memorable scenes on the 1990s sitcom Seinfeld, has died of natural causes at age 92. His Emmy-nominated role as the cantankerous father of Jerry Seinfeld’s best friend George Costanza assured him a spot in the annals of modern comedy: People still mock-celebrate the fake holiday of Festivus the character Frank Costanza promoted as a Christmas alternative. But the World War II veteran and Brooklyn, N.Y., native was getting laughs years earlier as a stand-up comic alongside his wife, Anne Meara, who died in 2015. The couple performed together 36 times on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Where else have I heard the name “Stiller”? His son Ben Stiller is a well-known film actor, writer, and producer, known for Zoolander, Dodgeball, and Meet the Parents. “He was a great dad and grandfather and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years,” Stiller tweeted early Monday. “He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.”

Dig deeper: Read my report in Muse about the resurgence of “clean” stand-up comics.