Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Frankie Valli Mourns the Death of Great Comic and “Real” Friars Club Member Stewie Stone

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Frankie Valli has posted news to Instagram that the great comic and member of the real Friars Club, Stewie Stone, has passed away at age 88.

Stewie suffered from Parkinson’s Disease. When I spoke to his wife recently, she told me was in declining health. Condolences to their family.

There are only a few towering giants of the Friars Club left in retirement, like Freddie Roman and Dick Capri. Most, including my hero, Alan King, are now sadly gone.

Stewie was a little like Billy Crystal’s “Mr. Saturday Night” character, a Catskills comic who worked the clubs, the cruises, was very funny but never made it big time on TV and the movies. He was a comic’s comic, and much beloved and appreciated.

Watch Stewie talk about his career below, and see Frankie’s tribute.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame 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. 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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