# Phyllis Diller dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097 "2012-08-20T21:30:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/1 "2012-08-20T21:30:00Z")
> [@](#): > > [Trailblazing comic Phyllis Diller dead at 95 in Los Angeles - nj.com](http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2012/08/phyllis_diller_dead_dies_comed.html) > > Phyllis Diller, the housewife turned humorist who aimed some of her sharpest barbs at herself, punctuating her jokes with her trademark cackle, died Monday morning in her Los Angeles home at age 95. I didn’t know she was still alive. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/2 "2012-08-20T21:45:09Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > I didn’t know she was still alive. For most of the last 20 years, she merely _looked_ dead. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/3 "2012-08-20T21:48:37Z")
Phyllis Diller is dead and [Blair Warner is going to be on Survivor](http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/08/20/survivor-philippines-cast-lisa-whelchel-jeff-kent/)… The Mayans were right! ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/4 "2012-08-20T21:49:24Z")
Will watch news tonight to see who wins the Diller/Scott ‘lead death’ contest. My money’s on Diller, but it’s a close match. Both made significant cultural impacts in their own manner. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/5 "2012-08-20T22:08:47Z")
Her humor always seemed forced to me, her material was never strong enough to carry her act which otherwise consisted of unkempt hair and that strident voice and screech of a laugh. I know, _nil nisi bonum_ and all that, but I honestly couldn’t think of anything good to say about her. Why post at all then? Because I wanted to bid her rest in peace. You can’t say she didn’t try her hardest to be funny. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/6 "2012-08-20T22:29:36Z")
sure are dropping like flies this year. death is very busy. ms diller did open quite a few doors for many women comics. she also helped the plastic surgery industry. nearly single handedly. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/7 "2012-08-20T22:58:09Z")
She was on an episode of Scooby-Doo I think. I remember her for that… probably. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/8 "2012-08-20T23:15:59Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Her humor always seemed forced to me, her material was never strong enough to carry her act which otherwise consisted of unkempt hair and that strident voice and screech of a laugh. > > I know, _nil nisi bonum_ and all that, but I honestly couldn’t think of anything good to say about her. Why post at all then? Because I wanted to bid her rest in peace. You can’t say she didn’t try her hardest to be funny. She was new and different back in the Ed Sullivan/Johnny Carson early days. She was a “domestic goddess” when Roseanne was a child. Female comedians were a rarity then, with a few ground-breakers like Diller and Rusty Warren. It was funny then, but extremely dated now. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/9 "2012-08-20T23:25:50Z")
she once wrote a book called “having a baby can be a scream” and talked about how the publisher wouldn’t let her use the word “pain” when describing childbirth. now, that’s OLD. RIP, Phyllis. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/10 "2012-08-20T23:42:44Z")
(I’ve been assuming that Todd Akin’s stupidity was so powerful, it just pushed her over the edge.) Don’t forget, she played the Queen in _A Bug’s Life_, and I thought she was great! ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/11 "2012-08-21T02:14:51Z")
I remember once when she was on Larry King she told him she “died” during an operation for a few minutes. LK asked what that was like, and she said death was absolutely nothing to be afraid of, and she had no fear whatsoever about dying. I do wish she had elaborated, but I found her words rather comforting. RIP, lady, you led quite a life. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/12 "2012-08-21T02:17:33Z")
If you have Netflix you may want to check these out: [http://movies.netflix.com/movie/On\_Location\_with\_Phyllis\_Diller/70047731](http://movies.netflix.com/movie/On_Location_with_Phyllis_Diller/70047731) [https://movies.netflix.com/movie/Phyllis\_Diller\_Not\_Just\_Another\_Pretty\_Face/70061055?mqso=70002140](https://movies.netflix.com/movie/Phyllis_Diller_Not_Just_Another_Pretty_Face/70061055?mqso=70002140) [https://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Goodnight\_We\_Love\_You/70057637?locale=en-US](https://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Goodnight_We_Love_You/70057637?locale=en-US) You youngens might know her best as the voice of Petter Griffin’s mom on _Family Guy_. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/13 "2012-08-21T02:22:44Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > For most of the last 20 years, she merely _looked_ dead. Come on, she was 95 years old! She’d been in poor health for the last ten years or so, but a few years before she quit performing, I saw her in a stage production of _The Wizard of Oz_ as the Wicked Witch. She was well past 80 even then, but she played the part with plenty of physicality and a strong voice. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/14 "2012-08-21T03:25:08Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Phyllis Diller is dead and [Blair Warner is going to be on Survivor](http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/08/20/survivor-philippines-cast-lisa-whelchel-jeff-kent/)… Helllloooo, Lisa! She looked in her forties on “Fats of Life” and now the calendar has caught up with her while being very kind. Er, too bad about Phyllis, but 95’s a good run. ---
**Author:** ![oreally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ab992/32.png) [@oreally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oreally)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/15 "2012-08-21T03:48:07Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > For most of the last 20 years, she merely _looked_ dead. classy. :rolleyes: One of the first ladies of comedy and pioneer for female comedians, certainly of female stand-ups. Too bad so few have a clue what a great talent and comic we just lost. RIP Ms Diller. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/16 "2012-08-21T04:56:00Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > She was on an episode of Scooby-Doo I think. I remember her for that… probably. Even cooler, she was on an episode of _Robot Chicken_ spoofing her appearance on _Scooby-Doo_. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/17 "2012-08-21T05:54:51Z")
Phylis…St Louis will NEVER forget you! nor will I. [http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/phyllis-diller.html](http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/phyllis-diller.html) ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/18 "2012-08-21T10:35:52Z")
> [@Toucanna](#): > > If you have Netflix > [https://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Goodnight\_We\_Love\_You/70057637?locale=en-US](https://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Goodnight_We_Love_You/70057637?locale=en-US) I watched this one not long ago and really enjoyed it. I remember seeing her on Ed Sullivan when I was a kid. She always looked like she was having fun while performing, and to me it came across as sincere, not forced. She impressed me. And another celeb from my youth is gone… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/19 "2012-08-21T11:07:57Z")
> [@oreally](#): > > classy. :rolleyes: > > One of the first ladies of comedy and pioneer for female comedians, certainly of female stand-ups. Too bad so few have a clue what a great talent and comic we just lost. RIP Ms Diller. I read **samclem** ’s post as an homage. It’s the type of self-deprecating statement one would have expected from Ms. Diller. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097/20 "2012-08-21T11:20:26Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I read **samclem** ’s post as an homage. It’s the type of self-deprecating statement one would have expected from Ms. Diller. Exactly. Anyone who took that “looked dead” remark literally has obviously never see any of Diller’s performances. If she were alive now, I’m sure she’d be the first to say it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phyllis-diller-dead/632097.md?page=2)