Jerry lewis biography cause of death

LAS VEGAS  -- Jerry Lewis, the rubber-faced comedian and director whose fundraising telethons became as famous as his hit movies, has died.

Publicist Candi Cazau said the Newark native passed away Sunday morning of natural causes at age 91 in Las Vegas with his family by his side.

Lewis made a career unleashing his inner child, mocking snobs and flouting authority in the process. He leaves behind a list of credits spanning back to the Depression era, along with a legacy of debate among audiences.

For younger generations, Lewis was best known as tearful telethon host but turn the cultural clock back to the mid-20th century and Lewis was everywhere. He first won fame teamed with singer Dean Martin and later launched a prolific solo career. Lewis made art of incompetence, serving as a mascot for social dysfunction in an era of stifling conformity.

The iconic performer once said, "Comedy is a man in trouble and comedians react to it in different ways. Chaplin was a ballet dancer. He's danced through trouble. Keaton became part of a well-oiled machine. He'd slip easily through a small opening. I'd have my arms outstretched and get stuck."

Lewis tended to garner strong love/hate reactions, which is reflective of a life and career filled with contrasts and contradictions. He played disorderly characters on screen while behind the camera he took total control as auteur.

His populist films were embraced by French intellectuals. He raised more than $1.4 billion for muscular dystrophy research yet his charity work earned equal amounts of praise and scorn. His zany shtick sprang from painful emotions, anxiety and self-doubt that plagued him from childhood. Lewis once proclaimed himself Hollywood's "most prominent and highly intelligent idiot."

It's fitting that his seminal movie is "The Nutty Professor," a Jekyll/Hyde farce about a nebbish who mixes

On this day in history, Aug. 20, 2017, 91-year-old Jerry Lewis died of natural causes at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada.

One of the most well-known American comedians of the 1950s, '60s and well beyond, Lewis was born as either Jerome or Joseph Levitch in Newark, New Jersey in 1926, according to various sources.

The comedian and actor rose to stardom partly due to his early mimicking talents, which ultimately led to a successful career all over the world.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, AUGUST 19, 1909, INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY'S INAUGURAL RACE TAKES OFF 

Lewis was born into an entertainment family. His father, known as Danny Lewis, was a musical arranger, while his mother, Rachel, played piano. 

He started performing at age five. When he was just 12 years old, he began miming music that he heard. The unique talent led him to drop out of high school to perform, according to Britannica.

Upon his arrival in New York City, Lewis met singer and actor Dean Martin in 1946.

Martin "would provide the songs and be straight man to Lewis [the] manic comic," noted The Los Angeles Times. 

The two soon became a popular team.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, JULY 27, 1940, BUGS BUNNY DEBUTS IN ANIMATED FILM ‘A WILD HARE’

The duo successfully performed in theaters, including th

Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch, March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, director, producer, screenwriter and humanitarian, whose career spanned eight decades and was nicknamed the "King of Comedy". He was known for his partnership with Dean Martin as the groundbreaking act of Martin and Lewis.

Lewis went on to star in, write, produce and direct motion pictures, appear on television, in nightclubs, concerts and musicals and sing in albums. Outside of his career, he supported fundraising for muscular dystrophy research, during 60 years as national chairman and spokesman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and 44 years hosting The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon every Labor Day weekend. In 1977, Lewis was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the organization. As one of the most successful performers in show business, with worldwide box office receipts of his films in excess of $800 million, Lewis received global acclaim for his unique ability and style with both comedy and drama. As part of Martin and Lewis and as a solo actor, he was voted Hollywood’s top box-office draw from 1951 to 1965, in later years as the sole comedian.

Lewis was born on March 16, 1926, at Newark Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, to Russian Jewish parents. His father, Daniel Levitch (1902–1980), born in New York, was a master of ceremonies and vaudeville entertainer who used the professional name Danny Lewis. His mother, Rachel "Rae" Levitch (née Brodsky; 1903–1983) went by the stage name Rae Lewis, was a piano player for the radio station WOR and was her husband's musical director. Lewis began performing at age five and would often perform alongside his parents in the Catskill Mountains in New York.

He was a "character" even in his teenage years, pulling pranks in his neighborhood including sneaking into kitchens to steal fried chicken and pies. He dropped out of Irvington High School in