Comedienne Phyllis Diller dead at 95
LOS ANGELES (RNN) - Phyllis Diller, the legendary comedienne who debunked the pristine image of the American housewife and broke down gender barriers in the world of standup, has died, according to CBS News.
She was 95 years old.
Phyllis Ada Driver was born on July 17, 1917, to parents Perry and Frances of the small town of Lima, OH.
Driver, an accomplished pianist left Chicago's Sherwood Music Conservatory to elope with first husband, Sherwood Anderson Diller, in 1939.
She took up residence in San Francisco, where she would become a housewife and mother. She worked as a copywriter and journalist during the day and honed her stand-up at night in comedy clubs.
Diller famously deconstructed the role of homemaker, a role society expected to be immaculate following popular sitcoms of the times like Leave it to Beaver. Her humor was self-deprecating. Her appearance - loud and proud clothing, eccentric makeup and crazily teased hair - was a direct departure from the typical portrayal of American suburbia. She was loud, raw and, at times, chaotic as she took on subjects like her fictional husband Fang and child-bearing.
[
more]
P2
Phyllis Diller dead at 95. :(
Linear Mode
