Ben Stiller has spoken about the amazing life of his father, Jerry Stiller, who sadly passed away from natural causes on May 11.

The comedian, who lived until the age of 92, has had a life that many of us could only dream of. There is certainly plenty of reason for son Ben to remember his father’s days on earth with fondness and respect, and he wastes no time in speaking out on the comedy legend’s incredible career.

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Jerry started out performing with his wife, Ann Meara, in world-renowned comedy duo Stiller and Meara. Sadly, Ann passed away aged 85 in 2015, but the pair had a long and impressive stint together in showbiz.

Ann and Jerry were a part of a comedy improv group called Compass Players, which is known today as The Second City. But they didn’t only work together; they also built impressive careers separately.

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Most people will know Jerry best from his roles in Seinfeld, plus hit movies like Zoolander, Disney’s Planes and The Lion King, Hairspray, and Hot Pursuit. He has worked alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, and continued to perform right up until old age.

According to reports, Ben and his sister Amy were able to see Jerry before his death. It was lucky that Jerry wasn’t separated from his family, as many elderly people are today. There was no possibility that Jerry had Cornoavirus, so it was safe for his children to spend time with him before his death.

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Ben, a familiar face from films such as Night at the Museum, Meet the Fockers and The Heartbreak Kid, spoke to The New Yorker about his father’s death, revealing:

“He was just slowing down a lot, and he was dealing with a lot of issues. And so the last week or two were tougher for him. But he went peacefully, and he had a sense of humor, for sure, until the end. I hesitate to call it a sense of humor. He was just funny, and so he was always himself.”

It will be reassuring for Jerry’s fans to know that he didn’t die in pain or alone. Jerry had lived a long, successful life – no-one could argue that he had been taken from the world too soon. Ben agreed with this, saying:

“He was almost ninety-three, and I think his body was kind of at that point where it was time.”

Both Ben and Amy share their parents’ talents for acting and comedy. Ben has played many roles in comedic films, and Amy is a comedian. While the parents might have passed on, their legacy lives on in their children.

In his phone call with The New Yorker, Ben admitted:

“I remember watching them onstage and seeing them perform and get laughs, and do their act. I remember, as a kid, enjoying watching that and thinking, Oh, this is kind of cool that everybody thinks my parents are funny. And it was exciting.”

According to Ben, his father would always be noting down ideas if he thought something was funny. While his mother, Ann, found it more challenging to “put herself out there”, to Jerry, it was something that came naturally, something he was always “working on”.

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But stage persona aside, Jerry was something of a softie, Ben said. One time, when Ben was struggling with homesickness at a summer camp in Maine, his father came up for a couple of days to help him settle in. As it turned out, Ben met a girl he liked, and decided he’d stick it out after all. But the moment lingered in Ben’s head as an example of how his father was always willing to go the extra mile to make sure his son was okay.

A number of celebrities paid their respects online, with Pee-Wee Herman, calling Jerry “wholly original and dazzlingly talented” on his website.

This one is for you, Jerry Stiller. I adored and idolized you. Heaven just got a whole lot funnier: https://t.co/nzKE45A6sV#RIPJerryStiller #RIPLegend pic.twitter.com/0tm6Cd3YkD

— Pee-wee Herman (@peeweeherman) May 11, 2020

What’s for certain, the world isn’t going to forget about Jerry Stiller any time soon. The legend will live on.

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Source: Little Things, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker