Monday, May 25, 2026

Jerry Lewis is Dead at 91: Comic and Film Genius, Idolized by Martin Scorsese, Had a Wild and Crazy Life

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Jerry Lewis is gone but will never be forgotten. He made sure of that by having many lives, all successful. The comic genius, great indie filmmaker was also a tremendous philanthropist. He was never easy but he lived his life honestly. He said what was on his mind always. And never failed to amuse. He had his foes but his fans and friends idolized him — like Martin Scorsese and Richard Belzer. Jerry was a great interview, too. He was always more than generous to me, and our encounters were memorable. Despite their famous falling out, Jerry loved and miss his old partner Dean Martin. Keep refreshing because I’m going to add the interview we did a couple of years ago. This is a big big loss.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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