‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ Creator Phil Rosenthal’s Father Max Dead at 95

Max Rosenthal, the father of Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal, and a recurring character on the series, has died at 95. Rosenthal appeared in his son’s projects outside of Raymond also, including Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil and the PBS series I’ll Have What Phil’s Having.

Phil Rosenthal posted a small tribute to his father on Twitter shortly before the news spread, expanding on the sad moment on Instagram. “As heartbroken as we are, we are so grateful that he was our dad, our grandpa, our friend, our favorite and funniest TV star and the role model for how to live 95 years while being the sweet, gentle, kind, compassionate and really, really funny,” Rosenthal wrote

“Lost the biggest influence in my life. I know you loved him too and I’m sad for all of us today,” Rosenthal continued. “I love you Dad. You live on forever in us, your family, and the friends you’ve made around the world.”

According to New York Jewish Week (via Variety), Rosenthal arrived as a German immigrant who escaped his home shortly after Kristallnacht in November 1938. Helen Rosenthal was also threatened by the Nazis, with her family being held in a concentration camp in France before traveling to Cuba and then the United States.

Both Helen, who preceded him in death in 2019, and Max were far more than just parents to Raymond’s creator, they were also the inspiration for Frank and Marie Barone on the series.

Rosenthal has explained several times how his mother and father helped filled out the characters that Ray Romano brought to the series. 60 years of marriage and family offers a lot to pull from creatively.

As Variety notes, the elder Rosenthal was known for his “wry sense of humor, his natural frugality, warmth and curiosity.” No other details were shared related to the cause of death.