Iconic American actor and comedian Jerry Lewis passed away Sunday morning at his home in Las Vegas. He was 91-years-old.
Lewis – who was one-half of a legendary tandem with Martin Lewis – took the entertainment world by storm in the 1950. The duo cemented their mark as giants in the industry appearing in various entertainment mediums including nightclubs, the radio and on the silver screen.
Via the Hollywood Reporter:
Martin & Lewis subsequently starred in such comedies as At War With the Army (1950), Sailor Beware (1952), The Caddy (1953), Living It Up (1954), You’re Never Too Young (1955) — a remake of Billy Wilder’s The Major and the Minor – and Artists and Models (1955). Hollywood or Bust (1956) was the last film of the 16 they headlined.
Martin got tired of Lewis getting most of the attention, and at New York’s Copacabana on July 25, 1956, the duo made their final nightclub appearance together — 10 years to the day of their first engagement. The feud that developed did not publicly end until the MDA telethon of 1976, when Frank Sinatra surprised the host by bringing Martin onstage. Martin died in 1995.
In addition to his contributions to the entertainment, Lewis was big into charity as well. A big time humanitarian, Lewis raised over $2.6 billion for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
When it came to the public life, entertainment and charity, Jerry Lewis was a modern day Renaissance man.
RIP.
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