Comedian Jackie Mason, who had a decades-long standup career and was noted for his rapid-fire bewildered insights, died at the age of 93 on Saturday in a New York hospital, according to long-time friend and collaborator Raoul Felder.
Felder stated, “He died peacefully with several close friends and relatives by his side.” Mason had been in the hospital for two weeks due to breathing problems, according to Felder. Mason was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, but grew up in New York, where he had brief stints as an amateur boxer and an ordained rabbi before turning to comedy. Mason was a stand-up comedian who specialized in the “Borscht Belt” style, which drew extensively on Jewish culture and phrases. Mason’s website featured a video dubbed “The Ultimate Jew” in his final years.
Mason, according to Felder, has always enjoyed receiving attention from fans.
“Even at the height of his stardom, he would talk to anyone on the street,” Felder added.
Mason’s on-stage presence as a man whose wheels never stopped churning was no act, he claimed. “I’d get phone calls that started with, ‘Let me ask you something,’ and I knew he was planning a hypothetical lawsuit to correct some awful wrong,” Felder, an attorney, explained.
Mason is most known to younger fans for his long-running role in “The Simpsons.” Mason’s role, Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky, the father of Krusty the Clown, appeared in 11 episodes until his death in 2014.
Mason is survived by Jyll Rosenfeld, his wife and manager.
Reference:https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/24/entertainment/jackie-mason-dead/index.html
