Comic gets his final respects

Veteran A merican stand-up Rodney Dangerfield has died at the age of 82.

The self-deprecating comic, famed for complaining ‘I don’t get no respect’, had been in a coma since undergoing a heart operation on August 25.

However, his family said he regained consciousness in the last days of his life.

In a statement, his wife Joan said: “When Rodney emerged, he kissed me, squeezed my hand and smiled for his doctors

"To her [his medical specialist], I will be forever grateful for giving me those moments."

Soon after his death, comedy clubs in New York and Hollywood bore the tribute: "Rodney Dangerfield: May He Rest in Peace and Make God Laugh." Flowers have also been placed on his star on the Hollywood walk of fame,

Born Jacob Cohen in Long Island, New York, Dangerfield began performing stand-up at the age of 19.

But he quit at 27, because he couldn’t support a family on the meager earnings he was making from life on the road.

But at 42, he returned to comedy, of which he said: “"It was like a need. I had to work. I had to tell jokes. I had to write them and tell them. It was like a fix. I had the habit."

But this time he was more successful, landing a series of appearances on Ed Sullivan’s talk show in the Sixties that made his name.

And he also became known for film roles such as loud-mouthed golfer Al Czerzik in Caddyshack.

Published: 6 Oct 2004