October 06, 2004

No Respect At All

Comic Rodney Dangerfield Dies in L.A. at Age 82.

Dangerfield suffered a stroke following heart valve replacement surgery in August and "developed infectious and abdominal complications from which he did not recover," Sasaki said.

During the past week, the entertainer emerged from a coma he had slipped into sometime after the operation, according to his wife, Joan. "When Rodney emerged, he kissed me, squeezed my hand, and smiled for the doctors," she said in a statement.

A native of New York's Long Island, Dangerfield had endured a series of health problems and surgeries in recent years, including double-bypass heart surgery in March 2000 and an operation three months later to correct an aneurysm. He also suffered a mild heart attack in November 2001. Last spring, he underwent brain surgery.

A month later, Dangerfield greeted reporters at the hospital dressed in a sports shirt and Bermuda shorts and declared, "My brain is OK. I feel like a new man." Later, responding to a medical question, he answered, "Ask me about things I'm familiar with, like drugs or prostitution."

This brings to mind another quotable joke which is oddly appropriate:

If I take excellent care of myself for the rest of my life, I'll get very sick and die.

Rest in peace, Rodney.

Posted by (: Tom :) at October 6, 2004 06:26 AM