Don Rickles dies at 90: Remembering the iconic insult comic

Hear tributes to Don Rickles, AKA Mr. Warmth, on Comedy Greats and Raw Dog Radio.

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by:
SiriusXM Editor
April 6, 2017

Don Rickles appears onstage at The 2012 Comedy Awards in New York, Saturday, April 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

Hollywood is mourning “Mr. Warmth.”

Legendary comedian Don Rickles died Thursday of kidney failure, according to CNN. He was 90 years old.

He is survived by his wife, two children and two grandchildren. Just last month, he tweeted about celebrating his 52nd anniversary with his wife Barbara.

Rickles was discovered as a comic in the 1950s by Frank Sinatra.

“Nobody ever dared with Frank because he had such mood swings and you never knew how he was going to react.” the singer said in a 2004 New Yorker profile. “But I could tell the minute I saw him that he was going to be in my corner.”

The Rat Packer helped Rickles launch a career as an “insult comic,” opposed to political correctness and known for roasting celebrities.

But that didn’t stop stars from loving him, with comics like Kathy Griffin, Jim Carrey, Jason Alexander and Judd Apatow mourning his loss on social media.

On Thursday, Hear Rickles’ album Hello Dummy! in it’s entirety at 3 pm and 8 pm ET and tracks from his album Don Rickles SPEAKS throughout the day on SiriusXM Comedy Greats (Ch. 94).

Thursday’s Raw Report on Raw Dog (Ch. 99) will be dedicated to Rickles, with celebrity callers sharing their memories of the icon.

Hello Dummy! will also air in its entirety Friday at 11 am ET on Comedy Greats.

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(AP Photo/Charles Sykes)



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