Phyllis Diller, the wild-wigged comic who made herself a household name in the tough comedy circuit of the 1960s has died, TMZ is reporting. She was 95.
"She paved the way for Chelsea Handler, Roseanne Barr, Joan Rivers and Ellen DeGeneres," her agent, Fred Wostbrock, told NBC.
Diller's standup shtick included her long cigarette holder, her frumpy outfits, her hoarse laugh, her self-deprecating jokes and references to her never-seen husband, "Fang." She made her first standup appearance at the Purple Onion in 1955.
The comedienne was born Phyllis Driver in Lima, Ohio, on July 17, 1917, and took the name Diller from her first husband, Sherwood Anderson Diller. She had six children with him.
Phyllis Diller's voice work included the Queen in the 1998 animated film "A Bug's Life."
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Phyllis Diller Dies at 95
Aug. 20, 2012
Staff -- HispanicBusiness.com
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Source: HispanicBusiness.com (c) 2012. All rights reserved.
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