Shecky Greene, a stand-up comedian and highly paid headliner in Las Vegas in the ’50s and ’60s, has died at 97.
He died of natural causes on Sunday morning at his home in Las Vegas, his wife of 41 years Marie Musso Greene told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The late Jerry Lewis, who was Greene’s longtime neighbor in Vegas, referred to him as “the epitome of comic genius,” while Bob Hope called him a “comedian’s comedian.”
Greene also opened for Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley at the original Fountainbleu in Miami Beach, although the young singer was originally top billed in 1956 before switching slots with Greene.
“He always made humor out of whatever he could,” said his widow of the years she spent with him. “He made you laugh and feel good. It was a happy time.”
At his peak, Greene earned $10,000 per week at the Riviera’s Starlite Lounge and was the highest-paid entertainer in Vegas for decades.
Greene, born Fred Sheldon Greenfield on April 8, 1926, grew up on Chicago’s North Side.
“I came out of Chicago,” Greene told the Washington Times in 2017. “When I finally went to the borscht belt, I was making more money than the average guy. I was making 25 grand, and other guys were not getting that. Everybody from New York thought I was from New York. They saw me and swore I was from there.”
Greene credited the Prevue Lounge in New Orleans for his first big break before becoming a Vegas headliner. He was also a frequent guest on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson.
He appeared in the films “History of the World, Part I,” “Splash” and “Tony Rome,” also guest-starring on TV series including “Mad About Yo,” “Combat!” and “Love, American Style.”
In addition to his widow, Greene is survived by his two adopted daughters, Dorian Hoffman of Boise, Idaho and Alison Greene of Vancouver, Washington; his sisters-in-law JoAnn Musso Sperry and Linda Galasso; nephew Michael Sperry and nieces Angel Galasso Hooper and Gina Dadian.
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