Jackie Mason, the stand-up comic whose career spanned several decades, died Saturday at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital the age of 93. His longtime friend, attorney Raoul Felder, confirmed Mason’s death to the New York Times, saying, “He died peacefully with several close friends and family at his side,” adding that he had been hospitalized for two weeks with breathing difficulties.
Born in Wisconsin, the son of Belarusian immigrants is best known for his one-man show, ‘The World According to Me!,’ which was adapted as a TV special and comedy album called Jackie Mason on Broadway. Mason also headlined the stage shows Jackie Mason: Politically Incorrect, Love Thy Neighbor, Much Ado About Everything, Jackie Mason: Freshly Squeezed and The Ultimate Jew.
His screen credits include the sitcoms, Chicken Soup and 30 Rock, and the films The Stoolie, Caddyshack II, The Jerk and Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part I. Mason also lent his voice to the animated character, Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky, on The Simpsons from 1991 to 2016. Mason wrote about his life and career in his autobiography, ‘Jackie, Oy!: Jackie Mason From Birth to Rebirth.’
Mason is survived by Jyll Rosenfeld, his wife since 1991, and his daughter, comedian Sheba Mason, from a previous relationship with Ginger Reiter.