Mr. Potato Head has left the room.
Don Rickles, the rapid-fire insult machine who for six decades earned quite a living making fun of people of all creeds and colors and everyone from poor slobs to Frank Sinatra, has died. He was 90.
The legendary comic died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles of kidney failure, publicist Paul Shefrin announced.
Sarcastically nicknamed “Mr. Warmth,” Rickles had mock disdain for stars, major public figures and all those who paid to see him, tweaking TV audiences and Las Vegas showroom crowds with his acerbic brand of takedown comedy. A good guy and devoted husband away from the stage, Rickles the performer heartlessly laid into everyone he encountered — and they loved it.
Don Rickles was a fine actor, too. He appeared in several films, notably Kelly’s Heroes, Casino, and as the voice of the irascible Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story.
He loved standup and never truly retired. His ad-libs were legendary and for those fortunate to have seen him in person, the energy he projected from the stage was immense.
Heaven got a whole lot funnier today.
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