Pat Cooper, stand-up comedian and actor, has died at the age of 93.
Cooper passed away Tuesday night at his home in Las Vegas. The death was announced in a statement from his wife, Emily Conner.
The fast-talking funny man — born Pasquale Vito Caputo — was known for his caustic style of comedy, appearing in shows such as Ed Sullivan in the 1960s and later Howard Stern in the 1980s.
He also took up acting later in his career, co-starring with Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal in the 1999 comedy film Analyze This – playing Salvatore Masiello, a member of De Niro’s character’s mob squad – and its 2002 sequel , Analyze That, and appeared on an episode of Seinfeld, where he played himself.
He is survived by his son Michael Caputo; daughters Louise Caputo and Patti Jo Weidenfeld; and several grandchildren.
Sad news: stand-up comedian and actor Pat Cooper has passed away at the age of 93. He died Tuesday night at his home in Las Vegas; Pictured in 2005 at the CineVegas Film Festival in Las Vegas
Cooper was born in 1929 to an Italian family in Brooklyn, New York. Admitting that he had not had a happy childhood, he once recalled, “I think I broke a record in my neighborhood – I think I must have run away 14 times.” People don’t run away from good houses.’
He started his career by playing at local clubs in New York.
He started working on The Jackie Gleason Show in 1963 and started later performing at the Copacabana, opening for acts like the Four Seasons and Jimmy Roselli.
As his career progressed, he performed in various clubs across the United States and collaborated with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis, Jr., George Burns, Sergio Franchi, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick and more.
He was known for his outrageous comedy, and for more than 50 years he often mocked Italian-American families like his own and hilariously ranted about anything that annoyed him, including some stars he had worked with.
In 1965, he released a comedy album titled Our Hero, one of the first to feature Italian-American humor.
This was followed by Spaghetti Sauce and Other Delights, a parody of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass’s 1965 album Whipped Cream and Other Delights.
He also parodied the cover. While the original featured a naked woman covered in whipped cream, its cover featured him with marinara sauce slathered all over his body and topped with a mound of spaghetti.
He brought the laughs: The fast-talking funny man—born Pasquale Caputo—was known for his caustic style of comedy, appearing in shows such as Ed Sullivan in the 1960s, and later Howard Stern; Pictured (right) performing alongside Frankie Vaughan and Liza Minnelli in 1970
Famous Role: He later also started acting and co-starred with Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal in the 1999 comedy film Analyze This
His Career: He also appeared in an episode of Seinfeld, playing himself; Pictured with Jerry Seinfeld in New York City in 2015
Italian-American humor: He was known for his outrageous comedy, and for more than 50 years he regularly mocked Italian-American families like his and hilariously ranted about anything that annoyed him
Retired: The comic retired in 2013, after performing at New Jersey’s Mayo Performing Arts Center; Pictured with Tony Danza
Cooper’s act was new at the time, when there were far more Jewish than Italian-American comedians poking fun at their background and culture.
Unfortunately, his act came at a high personal cost as he became estranged from his parents and siblings. He later also became estranged from his first wife, Dolores Nola, and his children.
He claimed they had a hard time accepting his success.
Cooper even had a falling out with Howard Stern over strained relationships with his family, after Stern put Cooper’s estranged son, Michael, and his ex-wife on the air, and Cooper chose not to interact with them, later berating Stern , according to The New York Times. After that, Stern decided to cut ties with the comedian.
Cooper resealed his autobiography, How Dare You Say How Dare Me! in 2010.
The comic was retired in 2013, after its performance at New Jersey’s Mayo Performing Arts Center.
At the time, he complained about the treatment he received from the industry, saying, “They don’t want me because I say what’s on my mind, and they punish it.”