Comedy pioneer Tom Dreesen has died at the age of 86. He was most well known for starting the first American interracial stand-up comedy duos and was also known for being a longtime opening act for Frank Sinatra.
According to Page Six, his publicist, Lori De Waal, confirmed that he died at his Los Angeles home. His cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Dreesen was known for being one half of the "Tim and Tom" duo alongside Tim Reid, who was Black. They formed in 1969 in Chicago, and worked together throughout the 70s. They were most well known for using humor to address current political topics as well as social issues.
After the two split, Dreesen found himself a golden comedy career which netted him a solid 500 TV appearances nationwide. He appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 60 times, and also guest-hosted on The Late Show With David Letterman.
But his final TV appearance came just last week, where he appeared on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen. The show had replaced Stephen Colbert's iconic late-night show.
But perhaps what Dreesen was most known for was being Frank Sinatra's opening act for 14 years. He became quite good friends with the singer.
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The Comedy Icon Reflected on His Friendship with Frank Sinatra
In an interview with the Desert Sun newspaper in 2014, Tom Dreesen reflected on his friendship with the legendary singer.
"If he loved you, he worshipped the ground you walked on. In a lot of ways, he was like a father to me. I didn't have a father that really cared that much where I was and what I did.
"But Frank would give me advice and counsel, and then he was a buddy in a lot of ways. I thought the world of him."
Tributes Have Poured in Online for Tom Dreesen
Comedian and filmmaker Mike Binder reflected on the first time he found Tom Dreesen. "When I was a kid I found an album he and his comedy partner did called Tim and Tom and took it home and played it and it was one of the albums that changed the course of my life - so great," he wrote.
Fans also shared tributes online for the comedy pioneer. One fan wrote, "He shared a bunch of Sinatra stories on Letterman's show. Funny guy. RIP."
