Legendary stand-up comedian, actor, director, producer and writer Carl Reiner has died at 98. Reiner’s assistant Judy Nagy confirmed the news to Variety. Reiner died on Monday night at his home in Beverly Hills from natural causes.
Born and raised in New York, Reiner was best known for creating and starring in The Dick Van Dyke Show. He got his start acting in Broadway musicals, and his big break came in 1950 when he was cast in Your Show of Shows appearing in comedy skits, working alongside writers Mel Brooks and Neil Simon. Reiner and Brooks worked so well together that they partnered up as a comedy duo on The Steve Allen Show which gained so much popularity that their routine expanded into a series of five comedy albums and an animated TV special.
Reiner married singer Estelle Lebost in 1943, and they were married for 64 years until her death. The couple had three children: [director] Rob, Lucas, and Annie.
Reiner was still acting on the big and small screen up until recently, and was active on social media as one of the oldest celebrities to have a Twitter account. Reiner last tweeted, “Nothing pleases me more than knowing that I have lived the best life possible by having met & marrying the gifted Estelle (Stella) Lebost—who partnered with me in bringing Rob, Annie & Lucas Reiner into to this needy & evolving world.”
Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
