Pat Cooper, a longtime stand-up comedian, died Tuesday. He was 93.
Steve Garrin, Cooper’s producer and writing partner, confirmed to Fox News Digital that the beloved comic died at home in Las Vegas.
“There was nobody like Pat Cooper, who burned every bridge that he went over,” Garrin joked. “I put out a lot of the fires.”
He added, “He was one man who was honest. You could depend on him. You could trust him. If he gave you his word and said he was going to do something, he did it. And he helped so many people.”
The Brooklyn-born comic first found success opening for Frank Sinatra at the Sands in Las Vegas.
Born Pasquale Caputo, Cooper was known for his impeccable delivery and brazen take on his Italian-American background.
Cooper was also known for being a roast-master at the Friars Club, where comedians throw their best jokes at each other.
An expressive Pat Cooper leads a Friars Club Roast in New York City in 2008.Getty ImagesHe portrayed himself on the 1996 “Seinfeld” episode titled, “The Friar’s Club.”
Garrin recalled how Cooper’s memorable scene even came about.
“I was sitting at his table in his kitchen and the phone rings, and it’s Larry David,” he said. “He picks up the phone, and he hangs it up. I go, ‘What was that?’ He says, ‘Some nut.’ The phone rings again, and he picks it up, and he hangs it up.
“I said, ‘What’s going on with you?’ and he goes, ‘Some guy says he’s Larry David,’ and I said, ‘Well, maybe if he calls again, see if it is.’”
Pat Cooper shares a moment with Jerry Seinfeld in 2015.FilmMagicAs fate would have it, David called once again and offered Cooper a guest spot on the popular sitcom “Seinfeld.”
Cooper’s scene was completely ad-libbed.
“Pat ad libs and says — if you look at Jason Alexander’s face — he goes, ‘Are you in show business?’ Jason looks at him like he doesn’t know what’s going on, but they went with it, and he goes, ‘No,’ and he goes, ‘Well, what am I talking to you for?’ And boom — that was the take, and they kept it,” Garrin recalled.
Pat Cooper poses for a 1962 promotional photo.Getty Images
Tony Danza and Pat Cooper pose together at a 2007 New York event.WireImageGarrin also remembered being at the Jerry Lewis roast at the Friars Club with Cooper, who was told to tell the audience not to take pictures of another guest at the show, Robert De Niro.
As soon as Cooper got to the stage, Garrin remembered Cooper saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, they just told me Robert De Niro is in the audience. Get your cameras out.”
In addition to his stand-up success, Cooper was a fan-favorite on “The Howard Stern Show” and has dozens of credits on the silver screen.
Singer and actor Frankie Vaughan, Hollywood legend Liza Minnelli and comic Pat Cooper appear in an episode of the 1969 to 1971 TV series “This Is Tom Jones.”Getty Images He teamed up with De Niro and Billy Crystal in 1999’s “Analyze This,” followed by its sequel in 2002, “Analyze That.”
Cooper is survived by his wife, Emily Conner, two daughters and one son.
