Shecky Greene, legendary Las Vegas headliner, dead at 97
Shecky Greene, the tuxedo-wearing comedian who pioneered the Vegas lounge act with the masterful way he worked a crowd, has died. He was 97.
Greene died Sunday at his Las Vegas home of natural causes, his widow told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“It was fun,” Marie Musso Greene said when asked what it was like being married to the late headliner. “He always made humor out of whatever he could. He made you laugh and feel good. It was a happy time.”
His rep, Howard Rapp, told The Post: “Shecky Greene was a brilliant comedian whose career spanned 7 decades and will be missed by all. He entertained me even through our last phone call where he sang me a song and included my name to entertain me. I will miss him as I [have known] him for over 50 years.”
Born Fred Sheldon Greenfield on April 8, 1926, in Chicago, Greene served in the Navy during World War II.
He attended community college to become a gym teacher but ended up performing in nightclubs for money.
Greene’s love for comedy deepened when he teamed up with the future co-founder of The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, Sammy Shore.
In 1953, Greene relocated to Las Vegas, where he opened for Dorothy Shay — also known as the “Park Avenue Hillbillie.”
“This was the making of my career,” Greene recalled in a 1996 interview with the Las Vegas Sun. “They held me over with Patty Andrews after she left her sisters, then they put me up with [bandleader] Xavier Cugat.”
In 1956, Greene introduced Elvis Presley, who was making his Vegas debut.
Greene also served as Frank Sinatra’s opening act — revealing to the Washington Post in 2017 that he “had a love/hate relationship” with the “New York, New York” crooner, admitting it was “more hate.”
“Frank Sinatra once saved my life,” Greene’s famous joke would go. “A bunch of guys were beating on me and Frank said, ‘OK, that’s enough.’”
Despite solidifying himself as the ultimate Vegas headliner in the 1950s and ’60s, Greene confessed to suffering from stage fright.
“I was a manic depressive,” he told the Review-Journal in 2009. “Then I developed panic attacks, and I worked with people who never knew it. I’d get a standing ovation, then I’d burst out crying as soon as I left the stage.”
“I wanted to get out of show business so bad at that time. But when you’re making $100,000 a week and supporting 12 bookies and a wife — it’s difficult,” he added.
Greene also battled an alcohol problem.
In 1968, the comedian famously crashed his Oldsmobile convertible into a lamp post, which sent the car flying into the iconic fountains outside Caesars Palace.
After becoming a frequent guest on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” Greene was invited to guest host the show in 1976.
Other credits include 1967’s “Tony Rome,” 1981’s “History of the World Part I,” 1984’s “Splash,” and appearances on the sitcoms “Laverne & Shirley,” “Roseanne,” and “Mad About You.”
Greene was inducted into the National Comedy Hall of Fame in 2020.
Since news of his death broke, several fans have offered condolences on social media.
“Farewell Shecky Greene,” one fan wrote on X. “One of the most brilliant comics ever and a lifelong friend of the family. We’ll be seeing you…”
“I knew that this day had to come,” a second person posted. “Today we lost the great Shecky Greene. A stand-up comedy legend. When I first moved to Los Angeles my first starring role in the movie was as his henchman in a dumb movie called ‘Pizza Girls’. He was pure funny all day every day. Rest in power king.”
