Jerry Stiller Dead: Jason Alexander Pays Tribute to ‘Seinfeld’ Dad

Early Monday morning, Ben Stiller announced that his father, legendary comedic actor Jerry Stiller had died, and now Jerry’s Seinfeld family are sharing their condolences via social media. Stiller died at 92 of natural causes, Ben confirmed in a tweet, writing, “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for abut 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.” Jerry Stiller’s fellow Seinfeld castmate, Jason Alexander, furthered Ben’s kind words about his father when sharing a sweet note via Twitter with fans.

“Such sad news that my beloved friend, Jerry Stiller, has passed. He was perhaps the kindest man I ever had the honor to work beside,” Alexander wrote. “He made me laugh when I was a child and every day I was with him. A great actor, a great man, a lovely friend. #RIPJerryStiller I Love you.”

Stiller’s death comes just a year after he suffered a medical scare and five years following his wife, Anne Meara’s death. Meara passed in 2015 after she had multiple strokes and was 85 years old. The couple share Ben and daughter Amy together. The two married in 1954 and used to perform together as Stiller and Meara on sketch shows throughout the 1960s, including The Ed Sullivan Show. He later detailed their relationship in his autobiography, Married to Laughter.

Stiller is best known for his role on Seinfeld as Frank Costanza, George Costanza’s (Alexander) dad. Following his recurring role on the hit comedy series, he was cast as Arthur Spooner on The King of Queens for nine seasons. His role on Seinfeld got him nominated for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series — but he later confessed in a 2005 interview that he was not the first choice for that role.

Stiller grew up in Brooklyn with his inspiration to make a name in Hollywood starting at the age of 8. This happened after his dad took him to see the Marx Brothers in A Night at the Opera. Shortly after marrying Meara in 1954, their careers launched. They chose to raise their two children in their longtime home on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, only soon to perform in Shoeshine alongside son Ben when he entered the entertainment industry. With Stiller’s longstanding career in show business, it seems as though Ben is following in his dad’s footsteps.