Rip Taylor dead at 84: Tributes pour in for late comedian

May 2024 · 3 minute read

The comedian and actor Rip Taylor passed away on Sunday at the age of 84, according to his publicist Harlan Boll. The cause of death was not immediately released, but Boll said he was hospitalized last week at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering a seizure.

Tributes have been pouring in on Twitter.

The King of Confetti, The Crying Comedian, the great Rip Taylor has passed away at 84. He made thousands of outlandish appearances on television and in nightclubs and his zany shtick and over-the-top delivery was a favorite for me growing up. pic.twitter.com/4J7tyrynHN

— Eric Alper ? (@ThatEricAlper) October 6, 2019

RIP, Rip. I can’t imagine how much bullshit you had to deal with in an industry that decided it was finally cool to be a gay man in comedy, like, a year ago. Nevertheless you ignored all that and delighted people for decades. RIP. https://t.co/uhtoxnNLGa

— billy eichner (@billyeichner) October 7, 2019

Rest n Peace Mr. Taylor. Loved you, grew up watching you. Thank you for all the laughter you brought me. ?? Rip Taylor Dead: Flamboyant Comic, Host of 'The $1.98 Beauty Show' Was 84 https://t.co/x99u23lBid

— David Alan Grier (@davidalangrier) October 6, 2019

RIP TAYLOR was an original and bursting with funny and energy .. good bye !!

— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) October 7, 2019

Funny dude, nice man.

May he rest in peace: https://t.co/hfDBF6ZmQi

— Marsha Warfield (@MarshaWarfield) October 6, 2019

Who was Rip Taylor?

Rip Taylor (Charles Elmer Taylor Jr.) was born in Washington D.C. He attended Capitol Page School and worked briefly as a congressional page.

He joined the U.S. Army and served in the Signal Corps during the Korean War. He was later assigned to the special corps where he entertained U.S. troops in Korea.

He started his career as a comedian in the 1950s after he left the Army. He performed as a comedian in night clubs before appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and other talk and game shows, such as Hollywood Squares and Match Game.

He also appeared on The Jackie Gleason Show (1963-1964) as The Crying Comedian.

Rip was known as The King of Confetti because he often showered the audience with confetti. He was also known for his shaggy toupee and handlebar mustache.

Taylor was the host of The $1.98 Beauty Show that parodied beauty pageants. He was also an actor and played roles in several TV series, including the children’s TV series Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, and The Brady Bunch Hour.

Taylor also performed voice acting roles on TV shows, such as Popeye and Son, The Addams Family, The Jetsons, and Garfield and Friends.

His film credits include Chatterbox! (1977), The Happy H****r Goes to Washington (1977), DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Wayne’s World 2 (1993), Indecent Proposal (1993), The Silence of the Hams (1994), and The Jackass film series.

Rip was briefly married to the Las Vegas showgirl Rusty Rowe.

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