LAST LAUGH

Pat Cooper, Legendary Insult Comic, Dead at 93

In a career that spanned six decades, he worked with a galaxy of stars from Frank Sinatra to Howard Stern.

Pat Cooper, the comedian known for his angry persona, insult-heavy acts, and constant jokes about his Italian-American family, died in Las Vegas at the age of 93. In a career spanning six decades, Cooper worked with the boldest of names, opening for Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Paul Anka, Perry Como, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole, among others, in the 1960s and ’70s. He performed on variety specials, guested on late-night talk shows, and became a regular on Howard Stern’s radio show. Outrage was a fixture of his act—and his personal life. He told The New York Times that he was mistreated by the showbiz industry: “They don’t want me because I say what’s on my mind and they punish it.”