Sadly, it has been announced that actor/comedian Dom DeLuise has died
According to reports from Entertainment Tonight, DeLuise died peacefully in his sleep last night at a Los Angeles-area hospital. According to the LA TImes, "DeLuise died in Santa Monica in his sleep Monday night surrounded by family after a long illness, his son, Michael, told KNX radio"
Dom is probably best-known for his work in Mel Brooks films like "Blazing Saddles," "Silent Movie," "History Of The World Part One," "Space Balls," "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," and co-starring with Burt Reynolds in films like "Cannonball Run," "Smokey and The Bandit 2" and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."
Accoding to ETOnline, his long-time colleague and friend Burt Reynolds said "I was thinking the other day about this. As you get older you think about this more and more, I was dreading this moment. Dom always made everyone feel better when he was around. I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. I will miss him very much."
UPDATE: I just wanted to add that, as a fellow in his mid-40's, Dom DeLuise has played a major role in my comedic development. Just the way he could lift an eyebrow, or break through the fourth wall, could send me and my family into peals of laughter.
He was also a brilliant ad-lib comic. Here's an early bit he did with Dean Martin: