R.I.P. American actor Jerry Lewis takes his last breathe on 20 August 2017. About his career contribution, upbringing…

Published on August 22, 2017 | Published By: MarriedBioraphy | In Death

Superstar Jerry Lewis dies on 20 August 2017 at the age of 91.
The reason for his death is said to be ischemic cardiomyopathy as announced by Clark County Nevada Corone.

This is the situation when the blood supply to the heart decreases. He suffered a heart attack for the first time when he was 34 years old in 1960. Later 1982 and 2006, he again had a heart attack.

He was also diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, pulmonary fibrosis, and viral meningitis prostate cancer. In 1965, he had suffered from a back when he fell at a Las Vegas performance.

His fans and colleagues were present during his funeral, including the actor Robert De Niro who was present shares,

“And he was a friend. I was fortunate to have seen him a few times over the past couple of years. Even at 91, he didn’t miss a beat… Or a punchline. You’ll be missed.”

Table of Contents

Let’s have a look at his contributions

Jerry rose to fame following his team-up with Dean Martin. He performed several associated acts with Dean. This gave them a large number of shows on radio and TV. Their breakthrough performance was the Nightclub acts which made them popular.

This opened the door for him and he played lots of major roles in TV and films. His first TV appearance was on June 20, 1948, with Martin on the debut broadcast of the show ‘Toast of the Town on CBS’ (later as The Ed Sullivan Show).

He also played his first movie role and that was in the movie, ‘My Friend Irma’ the same year. Starting with ‘At War with the Army’, Martin and Lewis were the stars of their vehicles in fourteen additional titles.

He also featured as a solo comedian star in the movie ‘The Delicate Delinquent’ which was followed by his directorial projects like ‘The Family Jewels’ and so on.

He was awarded several awards including lifetime achievements awards from several Associations and Primetime Emmy Award Nomination for Best Comedian or Comedienne.

Jerry’s childhood, education

Jerry had his family’s back during his good and bad times. He was born to a Russian father Daniel Levitch and a mother Rachel Levitch. Newark-born Jerry Lewis was born on March 16, 1926, as Joseph Levitch.

His father was an MC(Master’s in Ceremony) and an entertainer while her mother was a piano player for a radio station.

His singing inspiration came from her mother who was in the same field of music. He was always keen on performing and singing from a very young age.

He grew up performing with his parents from the age of five which developed his skills to become a famous singer and actor in the future for sure. Singing and performing were his major interests while growing up.

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Jerry’s Relationship

Jerry was married twice in his life. He was first married to the former prominent singer Patti Palmer in 1944. They had 6 children together among which one was adopted.

She also gave birth to famous musician Gary Lewis. However, due to his external affairs, Patti was forced to divorce him. Their 40-year-old marriage ended on the 27^th of January, 1983.

But soon after they were divorced, he tied the knot with beautiful actress SanDee Pitnick. His affair with Pitnick was the main reason for the dissolving of his first marriage.

They adopted a child together in March 1992. They are still together living their life and are seen together publicly at various events.

View this post on Instagram
No pain in the world can amount to this. Today both I and my co-owner, alongside all of you, are mourning the devastating and heartbreaking news of Jerry Lewis passing. We’re reading all your comments and it truly warms our hearts and helps us cope with this reality. Sending our heartfelt condolences to Jerry’s family and friends and those whom he affected in his lifetime. I know, deep down, that there’s one heck of a reunion in heaven. Rest easy Jerry. ~ Photo: Rich Fury/Invision/AP File Photo. #JerryLewis
A post shared by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (@deanmartinandjerrylewis) on Aug 20, 2017 at 2:52pm PDT

Controversy, criticism

Jerry was criticized for insulting his fans throwing race-based jokes at them. He was also condemned for declining a pre-telethon interview with The Associated Press during the Annual Labor Day telethon.

He was also dragged into controversy regarding his film ‘The Day the Clown Cried’ which never made it to the big screens which are set to release in 2025 five decades after its original release date.

Also read Cool facts about Kerrie McCarver, the sixth wife of American singer Jerry Lee Lewis!

Short Bio Jerry Lewis

Lifetime Achievements Award winner Jerry Lewis is an American actor, comedian, singer, film producer, film director, screenwriter, humanitarian, and innovator. His comedy gained him a huge amount of fame. He is renowned as part of the comedy duo ‘Martin & Lewis’ for his comedy with Dean Martin.

Lewis served as national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and host of the live Labor Day broadcast of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon for 40 years.

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