Beloved Vegas Comedian Pat Cooper Recalled for His Witty Comic Acts, Bold Demeanor
Notorious comedian Pat Cooper tragically passed away at the age of 93 in his Las Vegas residence on a Tuesday.
Over his extended career, Cooper warmed up for notable Las Vegas headliners like Frank Sinatra at the Sands, and Ginger Rogers at the Desert Inn.
He also graced the screens of CBS’s “The Ed Sullivan Show” and the “Jackie Gleason Show.” He was a regular too, at the Copacabana nightclub in New York.
Connection with Seinfeld and Stern
In more recent times, Cooper made appearances on the “Seinfeld” TV series, with all his dialogue improvised. He was also a frequent guest on “The Howard Stern Show.”
Participating in many roasts at the Friars Club, Cooper would poke fun at popular celebrities. He featured in films as well, such as "Analyze This," "Analyze That," and even turned down a brief cameo role in Martin Scorsese's "Casino."
Born Pasquale Caputo in Brooklyn, New York, a mainstay of his jokes revolved around his Italian-American background, his family, and even lasagna. He was known for his brashness and labeled as a “Comedian of Outrage,” an obituary stated.
Sharp and Astute
Professor Jerry Zolten, a past standup comedian from Penn State University, Altoona, when commenting on Cooper, described him as “one of those rare comedians whose career endured across so many decades, transforming through various changes in what Americans perceived as humorous and how comedy was presented."
Zolten further noted that in his early career, Cooper was a "sharp ball of acerbic energy, an astute observer, and one of those comedians who frequently spoke from his personal ethnic background, in his case Italian, to establish camaraderie from his unique cultural perspective."
As TV comedy evolved, Larry David and multimedia host Howard Stern invited him on their shows, demonstrating the "respect those at the pinnacle of comedy had for him," Zolten expressed.
Zolten believed Cooper’s legacy will be as one of those trailblazing old-school comics who made us laugh through sheer intelligence, timing, and the ability to reflect our absurdities.
In a disagreement with Sinatra, Cooper was removed from future appearances after they argued over a joke about an upside-down St. Anthony statue, as remembered by the Hollywood Reporter. Sinatra had asked Cooper to delete the joke, but Cooper refused, infuriating Sinatra.
“There was no one like Pat Cooper, who burned every bridge he sojourned over," Steve Garrin, Cooper’s producer and writing partner, said to Fox News Digital.
Despite his blunt personality, Garrin added that Cooper was honest and trustworthy. “If he committed to doing something, he delivered, and he helped numerous individuals," Garrin said.
Cooper’s autobiography titled “How Dare You Say How Dare Me!” was published in 2011.
Incident with Carson
In the book, Cooper disclosed an incident where he refused to participate in any further appearances on "NBC’s" “The Tonight Show."
Legendary host Johnny Carson supposedly accidentally urinated on Cooper while they were in a New York nightclub’s restroom, a mishap that Carson allegedly attributed to his heavy drinking.
