RIP Jerry Lewis

The MDA telethon was nothing more than a leftist money laundering scheme!!

yep, and I read that his book The Total Filmmaker, 1971, was the book for beginning film students for a long time.

He was much more than a professional clown.

My favorite scene at the 1:12:52 mark

LINK

He was undisputedly a talent that appealed to many. I had nothing against him personally, but never found him funny.

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I had nothing against him personally, but never found him funny.

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same here...I found him more interesting when he played a serious role...

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I remember when he was considered as a replacement for Jack Paar on The Tonight Show. Before they settled on Johnny Carson they tried out Jerry Lewis. He was awful in that format. Extremely depressed looking as though he hated being there. He was the exact opposite of his zany personae from movies.

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I had forgotten about that Zach. Your memory is incredible.

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I remember the 50s and 60s. Last week is a total blur.

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I know exactly what you mean.

Wait, I thought The Killer died. Ok.

That poor man was just a jumble of health problems.

From Wikipedia.

Health concerns

Lewis had a number of illnesses and addictions related both to aging and a back injury sustained in a comedic pratfall from a piano while performing at the Sands Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip on March 20, 1965.[72][73] The accident almost left him paralyzed. In its aftermath, Lewis became addicted to the painkiller Percodan for thirteen years.[72] He said he had been off the drug since 1978.[73]

In April 2002, Lewis had a Medtronic "Synergy" neurostimulator implanted in his back,[74] which helped reduce the discomfort. He was one of the company's leading spokesmen.[73][74]

In the 2011 documentary Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis, Lewis said he had his first heart attack while filming Cinderfella in 1960.[75][76] In December 1982, he had another heart attack. En route to San Diego from New York City on a cross-country commercial airline flight on June 11, 2006, he had another.[77] It was discovered that he had pneumonia as well as a severely damaged heart. He underwent a cardiac catheterization and two stents were inserted into one of his coronary arteries, which was 90 percent blocked. The surgery resulted in increased blood flow to his heart and allowed him to continue his rebound from earlier lung problems. Having the cardiac catheterization meant canceling several major events from his schedule, but Lewis fully recuperated in a matter of weeks.

In 1999, Lewis' Australian tour was cut short when he had to be hospitalized in Darwin with viral meningitis. He was ill for more than five months. It was reported in the Australian press that he had failed to pay his medical bills. However, Lewis maintained that the payment confusion was the fault of his health insurer. The resulting negative publicity caused him to sue his insurer for US$100 million.[78]

Lewis had had prostate cancer,[79] diabetes,[73] pulmonary fibrosis,[72] and a decades-long history of heart disease.

Prednisone[72] treatment in the late 1990s for pulmonary fibrosis resulted in weight gain and a noticeable change in his appearance.

In September 2001, Lewis was unable to perform at a planned London charity event at the London Palladium. He was the headlining act, and he was introduced, but did not appear. He had suddenly become unwell, apparently with heart problems. He was subsequently taken to the hospital. Some months thereafter, Lewis began an arduous, months-long therapy that weaned him off prednisone and enabled him to return to work.

On June 12, 2012, he was treated and released from a hospital after collapsing from hypoglycemia at a New York Friars' Club event. This latest health issue forced him to cancel a show in Sydney.[80]

In an October 6, 2016, interview with Inside Edition, Lewis acknowledged that he may not star in any more films given his advanced age, while admitting, through tears, that he was afraid of dying as it would leave his wife and daughter alone.[81]

In June 2017, Lewis was hospitalized at a Las Vegas hospital for a urinary tract infection.[82]
Death

Lewis died at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, at 9:15 a.m. (PDT) on August 20, 2017, at the age of 91.[83]