American comedian Freddie Roman, the former dean of The Friars Club and a staple of the Catskills comedy scene, has died aged 85.
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Roman died on Saturday afternoon at Bethesda Hospital in Boynton Beach, Florida, his booking agent and friend Alison Chaplin said on Sunday.
His daughter told the entertainment trade Deadline that he suffered a heart attack that morning.
Roman made his name performing at hotels and resorts in the Catskill Mountains, also referred to as the Borscht Belt for the largely Jewish crowd that vacationed there and the comics such as Mel Brooks and Don Rickles who entertained them.
He later performed at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and Bally's Grand in Atlantic City and roasted stars including Rob Reiner, Chevy Chase, Jerry Stiller and Hugh Hefner.
He also conceived Catskills on Broadway, where he and his friends Dick Capri, Marilyn Michaels and Mal Z Lawrence brought their nostalgia-tinged, Catskills-flavoured stand-up to New York.
Roman appeared in various television shows and films including Red Oaks on Amazon.
"A great loss to the world of comedy," Paul Reiser wrote on Twitter.
"He was such a huge supporter and mentor when I was starting out. A GREAT comic, the ultimate pro with the biggest heart. I will miss our phone calls and his big, beauty laugh."
Born Fred Kirschenbaum on May 28, 1937, in Newark, New Jersey, and raised in Jamaica, Queens, Roman got a taste for stand-up comedy early thanks to his family.
His uncle and grandfather owned the Crystal Spring Hotel in the Catskills, where Roman started emceeing at age 15.
In Catskills on Broadway, Roman commented about everything from his childhood in Queens to his "retirement life" in Florida.
"I took a cholesterol test," he quipped. "My number came back 911."
The New York Times, in its review of the show in 1991, wrote, "Catskill resorts may be fighting the recession but Catskill comedy has not lost its flair."
The show, he'd later say, changed his life. It went to Broadway and toured across the United States.
Roman was made Dean of the New York City Friars Club, where he mentored many aspiring comedians and infused the private club with young talent until he was succeeded by Larry King in 2014.
In a 2003 interview, Capri said Roman was the perfect comedy ambassador.
"He's the social director of the world and he loves every second of it," Capri said.
The stint lasted a bit longer than Roman expected.
"Eleven years ago I became president for two years. I'm like the Fidel Castro of comedians. I'm president for life," he said of his tenure.
In 2011, Roman told Atlantic City Weekly the greatest job he ever had was opening for Frank Sinatra when his regular opening comedian Tom Dreesen wasn't available.
Roman learned about the opportunity on a layover in Chicago, left the plane and boarded another for Philadelphia to make the show in Atlantic City with just a few hours to spare.
He left the stage to see Sinatra laughing. The singer even called him back for another bow.
"Frank hugged me, and I saw my wife and daughter and they were crying," Roman said.
"It was unbelievable. ... Nothing ever topped working with Sinatra."
Australian Associated Press
