Legendary Comedian Who Worked With Frank Sinatra Dies: Shecky Greene Was 97

Legendary Las Vegas comedian Shecky Greene has died. The longtime Vegas headline star who rubbed shoulders with a slew of famous names including Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. The latter connection would provide a mythic joke for Greene over the years, sometimes spread by other comedians.

According to Variety, Greene's wife confirmed his death to the local Las Vegas Review-Journal. The couple were married 41 years at the time of his death. "It was fun. He always made humor out of whatever he could. He made you laugh and feel good. It was a happy time," she told the outlet.

Greene was a fixture on television's revolving door of big-name talk show guests and actors throughout the '60s and '70s, supplementing his successful stage act that remained a staple until his later years. He would be the opening act for Presley in Las Vegas in 1953, doing similar for Sinatra in Miami. This time with the blue-eyed crooner spawned his most memorable story, which is still funny despite ABC News pouring some cold water on things.

"Frank Sinatra once saved my life," Greene would share. "A bunch of guys were beating on me and Frank said, 'OK, that's enough.'" It's a simple little quip, but it has legs and has been shared by plenty of famous names. The best was Don Rickle's always giving in to David Letterman's requests to tell the story.

ABC News also shares another true story by Greene, detailing how he drove his Oldsmobile into the fountains at Caesars Palace in 1968. When the police arrived at the car, Greene had the wipers running and told them, "No spray wax please!"

While those stories were perfected over the years, with some details fudged, but the most interesting aspect of Greene's long career is his ability to just riff impromptu. "He'll walk out on a stage and do an hour off the top of his head," Tony Zoppi, former entertainment director for the Riviera Hotel told the LA Times. "A waitress dropped a glass – he did 15 minutes."

He also might be familiar to modern audiences due to his appearances in Mel Brooks' History of the World Part I, Splash with Tom Hanks, and continued TV appearances into the mid-90s. Later in his career, he would combat addictions, severe depression, and panic attacks, leading to a retirement attempt in 2004. But he returned later to the Suncoast Hotel and Casino in 2009, enjoying some new benefits of the modern city.

"I'm a legend," Greene told outlet The Sun at the time. "But nobody knows me in Vegas anymore."