Tributes pour in for Jerry Stiller who passed at 92
arrives at the HELP HAITI - Urban Zen HHRH & The Stiller Foundation Honoring Sean Penn at the Urban Zen Center At Stephan Weiss Studio on February 11, 2011 in New York City.
It only took seconds for the tributes to start pouring in. Right away celebrities like Ricky Gervais, Morgan Fairchild and Parry Shen shared their condolences on Stiller’s post, while plenty of others shared their own sweet tributes and memories of the man who taught us all about the powers of serenity now. (In fact, not only was Jerry Stiller trending on Twitter following the news, but so was “festivus” and “serenity now.”)I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. 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. pic.twitter.com/KyoNsJIBz5
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) May 11, 2020
I remember seeing #JerryStiller as half of #stillerandmeara on Ed Sullivan. I loved him as Lt. Rico Patrone in Taking Of Pelham 123 and got to meet him during my stint on @SeinfeldTV as #frankcostanza. #ripjerrystiller at 92 pic.twitter.com/ym2XLCsbT4
— Al Roker (@alroker) May 11, 2020
#JerryStiller has passed. I had the distinct honor of working with him on “The King of Queens” in 1999.
After the table read, the next day my part was reduced to 2 lines and the role was given to another (older) actor. (Continued) pic.twitter.com/fPTXnVwLhY— Parry Shen (@parryshen) May 11, 2020
Jerry Stiller is the only person I ever interviewed who sent me a holiday card. It came from him and Anne Meara. And the interview was just a phoner. A true class act. #RIP pic.twitter.com/xuT1FobzSB
— Mike Hogan (@mike_hogan) May 11, 2020
Plenty of fans knew Stiller from his work as Frank Costanza, father to George (Jason Alexander) on Seinfeld, or as the often cranky Arthur Spooner on King of Queens. But his career went back a lot further than that. He and his wife, Anne Meara, were a brilliant comedy duo who performed together on shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and Johnny Carson. Stiller was also a regular fixture on Broadway who appeared in both film versions of Hairspray. And he appeared onscreen more than once with his son Ben in films like The Heartbreak Kid, Hot Pursuit, and Zoolander. He was nominated for an Emmy for Seinfeld, and got a Best Spoken Word Album Grammy nod in 2001 for Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara.
— Jerry Seinfeld (@JerrySeinfeld) May 11, 2020
Yeah. I adored this man. pic.twitter.com/4YiaTLJh4C
— jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) May 11, 2020
Meara passed away in 2015 at the age of 85 following multiple strokes. It was only a little over a year ago that Stiller himself had a medical scare that landed him in the hospital, but he returned home shortly afterwards, a source told People at the time. Although the actor has been mostly out of the public eye for the last little while, he definitely lives on through syndicated reruns of King of Queens and of course, Seinfeld.
RIP to one of the greats. Watching King of Queens will feel a little different now. Thanks for all the laughs, Jerry ? #ArthurSpooner https://t.co/vZWp64b0sY pic.twitter.com/L5e08MdR0z
— Kerry Davis (@Kerrolina_23) May 11, 2020
He was Frank Costanza to many, but to us he'll always be Arthur Spooner.
Thanks for the memories, Jerry Stiller. #RIPJerryStiller pic.twitter.com/XVCALrTEbJ— CriticalBlast (@CriticalBlast) May 11, 2020
? Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller are finally together again #RIPJerryStiller #KingofQueens #Seinfeld pic.twitter.com/V1IF6JmKf9
— Zach Ryan (@poli_text) May 11, 2020
"I'll never forget, on the first day of the shoot in front of the audience, Julia Louis, Larry, Michael Richards, and the whole cast surrounded me, wishing me well,” Stiller once recalled of his Seinfeld days to the Television Academy. “They were rooting for me. They were protecting me from the fear, 'cause this was something. From that day on, those were the best years of my life as an actor.”
Captain’s Log Stardate 54: As we begin a new week it is sad to hear about the passing of Jerry Stiller; a comedic genius, fellow actor & friend. He will be missed. Condolences to his family.
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) May 11, 2020
My heart goes out to @RedHourBen & his entire family on this very difficult loss. Thank you Jerry for your brilliant comedic prowess. There was nobody who quite turned a phrase like #JerryStiller & few who got to create a holiday iconically linked to them. Happy eternal Festivus https://t.co/qDb9fFvrHB
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) May 11, 2020
RIP Jerry Stiller, a great comic actor and a splendid man. He and his wife Anne were royalty but they would’ve laughed in your face if you said so. And then hugged the hell out of you.
— Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) May 11, 2020
On stage or off he could put a smile on your face. Photo credit Arlene Gottfried. RIP Jerry Stiller pic.twitter.com/U3fRr9QTwM
— Gilbert Gottfried (@RealGilbert) May 11, 2020
[video_embed id='1955144']BEFORE YOU GO: A toddler peed in his mom's coffee cup and it was caught on camera[/video_embed]Truly heartbroken to hear of Jerry's passing. I had the privilege of working with him on The King of Queens for a few seasons. He was ALWAYS a bright light on set. He was not only a wonderful man, but a BRILLIANT comedian and actor.RIP, Jerry?? #JerryStiller ... Much love. pic.twitter.com/WFfW0zc7yH
— Alex Skuby (@Alex_Skuby) May 11, 2020
