Rodney Dangerfield, who forged a comic career out of the self-mocking admission "I don't get no respect," died Tuesday at UCLA Medical Center in Westwood from a stroke and other complications following heart valve replacement surgery in August. He was 82. Dangerfield had lapsed into a coma following his Aug. 25 surgery but came out of it during the past week, according to his wife, Joan. "When Rodney emerged, he kissed me, squeezed my hand and smiled for his doctors," Joan Dangerfield said in a statement. Dangerfield made his mark as a comedian in a variety of ways, from top-selling albums and books to films and TV appearances, particularly his frequent visits to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson or his famed Manhattan comedy club, Dangerfield's, which helped pave the way for the comedy club explosion of the 1970s and '80s. Dangerfield's trademark white shirt and red tie are on display at the Smithsonian Institution. Dangerfield also helped launch the careers of many of today's top comics through the series of Young Comedians specials he hosted for HBO in the 1980s, which featured such budding stars as Tim Allen, Jerry Seinfeld, Roseanne Barr, Jim Carrey, Sam Kinison, Louie Anderson, Jeff Foxworthy, Bob Saget, Rita Rudner and Robert Townsend.
- 10/6/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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