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Hollywood has lost one of their biggest and funniest stars this week, with the death of comedienne Phyllis Diller.

 

The entertainer, who passed away at the age of 95 in her sleep at her home in Brentwood, CA, was a powerhouse in the stand-up comedy world, and a true visionary, pioneering the way for many other female comedians for future generations to come.

 

Joan Rivers, Diller’s close friend and veritable protégé, said in a statement: “She walked out on a stage, and to the end, from the first time I saw her to the last time I saw her, I never walked away without saying, 'Why didn't I think of that?' She was so smart and she cared so much.”

 

Diller, whose trademark laugh and flamboyantly ou-of-this-world wardrobe drew in massive crowds in an age where stand-up was a men-only business, was one of if not the first stand-up comediennes to reach Hollywood elite status and make a name for herself.

 

Without Diller, who would have paved the way for people like the aforementioned Rivers, Ellen Degeneres, Chelsea Handler, and many others?

 

“She had such a good, full happy life. She had a great time to the very end,” said Rivers.

 

“We lost a comedy legend today,” said Degeneres. “Phyllis Diller was the queen of the one-liners. She was a pioneer.”

With all that she has done for women in comedy, and for the comedic arts in general, Diller will surely be missed.

 

 

 

 

- Raffy Ermac, YH Staff