Comedy legend Jerry Stiller passes away at 92

Legendary comedy actor Jerry Stiller passed on Monday morning at the age of 92. The father of Ben Stiller made us laugh for decades and we will miss him.

One of the funniest men to ever walk the face of this earth is no longer with us.

There will never be another Jerry Stiller. On Monday morning, his son and fellow comedic acting icon Ben Stiller shared the news of his father’s death on Twitter. Jerry Stiller was 92-years-old and passed away from natural causes.

“I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes,” Stiller tweeted. “He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.”

Jerry Stiller and his late wife Anne Meara, the mother of Ben and Amy, first came to national prominence as the popular comedy act “Stiller and Meara” in the 1960s. Together, they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show an astonishing 36 times. Stiller was an actor on Broadway and appeared on various televisions shows in guest roles throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Stiller was already a known commodity in the entertainment world in his own right, but the second act of his career really took off once his son became one of the greatest comedic actors of his generation. The elder Stiller played the old man who wasn’t afraid to let it rip better than any human to have ever existed. His roles in the 1990s and 2000s are what have us still in stitches.

Stiller played several iconic roles in his golden years, but the three we will never, ever forget are Frank Costanza on Seinfeld, Arthur Spooner on King of Queens and Maury Ballstein in Zoolander. It is impossible to talk about comedy with mentioning Stiller thriving in these three roles no other man could ever play.

As Frank Costanza, the father of Jason Alexander’s character George Costanza, we learned about SERENITY NOW, why men stop short and why the fictionalized version of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner traded Jay Buhner to the Seattle Mariners. Stiller’s recurring role as Frank Costanza paved the way for his starring role as Arthur Spooner a few years down the line.

More from Entertainment

• 10 greatest fictional football players of all time
• Stephen A. Smith learned quickly not to mess with Rihanna
• Everything to know about Taylor Swift’s Thursday Night Football appearance
• House of the Dragon live stream: How to watch
• From boxing to cinema, Javon Walton stars in Samaritan with Stallone

In King of Queens, Stiller played the father of Leah Remini’s character Carrie Heffernan. He lived in the Heffernan’s basement where he was an in-house nemesis of one Doug Heffernan, played by the show’s lead Kevin James. From being professionally dog walked to burning his old place down with a trusty hot plate, you knew Arthur Spooner was the ultimate wild card.

In 2001, Stiller went to the silver screen, giving us the everlasting performance of Maury Ballstein, Balls Models in Ben Stiller’s Zoolander. He played Derek Zoolander’s agent and it demonstrated the unique dynamic the Stiller men had on-screen. Maury taught us about what we do when we fall off the horse and Derek had more than one look about him. Magnum was glorious.

Stiller had a way of tapping your funny bone like few others. While his characters never meant to be funny, Stiller knew exactly the right phrase, the right cadence and the right situation to have us in stitches every single time. With all the free time we have, do yourself a favor and watch some Seinfeld, King of Queens or Zoolander and celebrate the man’s life who made us all laugh.

What do we do when we fall off the horse? We get back on. RIP Jerry Stiller.

For more, explore the Entertainment section at FanSided.com.