Comedy legend Don Rickles died on Thursday at the age of 90, and late night host Jimmy Kimmel was first in line to pay tribute to his hero.
After living a life larger and more prosperous than any of us could hope, comedian Don Rickles has died at the age of 80. His brand of humor revolutionized comedy and has left a mark so deep that comedians today continue to be influenced by him.
One of those comedians is late night host Jimmy Kimmel.
As soon as word spread throughout social media about Rickles death, Kimmel was quick to pay tribute to one of his comedic heroes.
90 years with Don Rickles weren't enough. One of the sweetest and most lovely people I had the pleasure of knowing. We miss you already
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) April 6, 2017
He then shared a photo of the two — with a John Stamos photobomb — without context to show even more appreciation.
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) April 6, 2017
Rickles was a comedy hero to so many in the business today. You also have to pause and take note of the history that was living within Rickles, and all the years he had on him and where those rings have been. He’s one of the last of the Vegas performers, hitting his stride in the Rat Pack era — an era that seems to be slipping too deep into the crevasse of history.
He was as quick witted as they come, and his brand of insult humor helped influence generations of rosters, as well a changing the game forever with his style. We’ve always had insult comics but Rickles did it so well that he added a level of respect to a profession that is otherwise mean spirited.
One thing that Rickles could never be called, ironically, was mean spirited. He was one of the nicest human beings you could hope to meet and his death means the world just got a helluva lot less funny.