Ben Stiller took to Twitter to say “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.”
Beloved actor and comedian Jerry Stiller passed away at 92. The news broke Monday morning after his son, actor Ben Stiller, posted a tweet about his father’s death saying he died of natural causes.
Ben Stiller took to Twitter to say “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.”
He also shared a photo of his dad in a park.
The patriarch, perhaps best known for his roles in “Seinfeld” and “The King of Queens,” was born in New York City and grew up in the Lower East Side. He fell in love with the comedy he heard on Sunday radio.
The eldest of three, the family faced hard times, and Stiller saw the Army as a way to provide. Upon his return from military service, he worked various jobs including washing windows, selling ice cream and driving a bus. He was able to put himself through college, studying drama at Syracuse University.
Soon after college, he auditioned for roles; that is where he met the love of his life, Anne Meara, at a casting call.
The chemistry Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara had in their personal lives translated to the stage and screen where they became one of America’s favorite couples.
In the 1950s, the duo would form the comedy team “Stiller & Meara,” who gained renown on CBS’ “Ed Sullivan Show.”
The couple were married for 62 years and had two children, Ben and Amy, who would follow in the footsteps of their parents and work in show business.
By the 1970s, the couple opted to split their comedy duo and begin solo careers in order to help their marriage.
"I love Anne, but if I had depended on her in my professional life," he told People magazine in 1977. "I would have lost her as a wife. We felt like two guys."
Jerry Stiller worked on Broadway as well as minor TV roles including “The Love Boat,” but in 1989, his career changed when he was cast as George Costanza’s father, Frank, on NBC's hit show “Seinfeld.”
What was dubbed “the show of the 90s,” Jerry became popular with a whole new generation of fans.
Following the end of “Seinfeld” in 1998, Jerry then was cast as the beloved character Arthur Spooner on CBS’ “The King of Queens.”
Anne Meara passed away in 2015. Jerry Stiller would work with his son in the 2001 comedy “Zoolander” and his final role, 2016’s “Zoolander 2.”
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