Comedy Legend Jerry Lewis Dies At 91
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis   the unapologetic and legendary comedian who started in the entertainment business in the 1950s  died at his home in Las Vegas on Sunday morning. He was 91.
The news was first reported by a Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist and was confirmed to BuzzFeed News by  Lewis 's agent.
" Legendary entertainer Jerry Lewis  passed away peacefully today of natural causes at 91 at  his  home with family by  his  side " read a statement from Lewis's family  given to columnist John Katsilometes.
Born Joseph Levitch in Newark  New Jersey  in 1926   Lewis  first rose to major notoriety alongside singer Dean Martin  becoming a household name and force in show business in the mid-1950s.
 Lewis  and Martin began as a stage duo in the 1940s. Their contrasting personas and comedic back-and-forth banter was a huge hit  and paved the way for a string of successful movies starring the unlikely pair. After a 10-year career together  the pair split  and  Lewis  received a $10 million  14-film deal with Paramount Pictures  the largest Hollywood deal in history at the time  according to The Hollywood Reporter.  Lewis  found success with the now-classic 1963 movie The Nutty Professor  which was later remade by Eddie Murphy in the 1990s.
In the following decades   Lewis  also became the host of the Labor Day telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association  a role  he  would hold for more than 55 years.  He  raised more than $2 billion and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for  his  work. Outside the US   Lewis  also enjoyed immense popularity in France  where  he  received the Legion of Honor award in 1983.
 Lewis  battled numerous health issues over the last few decades  starting in 1983  when  he  had open-heart surgery. In the early 1990s   he  had surgery for prostate cancer  and in 2006   he  suffered a heart attack.  He  subsequently battled lung disease for years  The Hollywood Reporter also noted.
In the last decade  Lewis  who was known for  his  cranky persona and oversize ego  garnered controversy for  his  political and social views â most notably in 2007  when  he  used a gay slur during the 18th hour of  his  Labor Day telethon.  He  later apologized for the incident  saying  he  "obviously made a bad choice of words."
 Lewis  also voiced  his  distaste for female comedians several times over the last few decades  and in 2015 told the Catholic broadcaster EWTN that "refugees should stay where the hell they are."
âHey  nobody has worked harder for the human condition than I have  but theyâre not part of the human condition "  he  continued in the 2015 interview. "If 11 guys in that group of 10 000 are ISIS  how can I take the chance? I donât want to lose another Frenchman or another Englishman." In the same interview   he  also praised Donald Trump  then a candidate for president.
 Lewis  is survived by  his  wife and seven children.
[TGT]    the unapologetic and legendary comedian who started in the entertainment business in the 1950s  died at  [TGT]  home in Las Vegas on Sunday morning.  [TGT]  was 91.
The news was first reported by a Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist and was confirmed to BuzzFeed News by  Lewis 's agent.
 [TGT] passed away peacefully today of natural causes at 91 at   [TGT]   home with family by   [TGT]   side " read a statement from Lewis's family  given to columnist John Katsilometes.
Born Joseph Levitch in Newark  New Jersey  in 1926    [TGT] first rose to major notoriety alongside singer Dean Martin  becoming a household name and force in show business in the mid-1950s.
  [TGT] and Martin began as a stage duo in the 1940s. Their contrasting personas and comedic back-and-forth banter was a huge hit  and paved the way for a string of successful movies starring the unlikely pair. After a 10-year career together  the pair split  and   [TGT] received a $10 million  14-film deal with Paramount Pictures  the largest Hollywood deal in history at the time  according to The Hollywood Reporter.   [TGT] found success with the now-classic 1963 movie The Nutty Professor  which was later remade by Eddie Murphy in the 1990s.
In the following decades    [TGT] also became the host of the Labor Day telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association  a role   [TGT]   would hold for more than 55 years.   [TGT]   raised more than $2 billion and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for   [TGT]   work. Outside  [TGT] also enjoyed immense popularity in France  where   [TGT]   received the Legion of Honor award in 1983.
  [TGT] battled numerous health issues over the last few decades  starting in 1983  when   [TGT]   had open-heart surgery. In the early 1990s    [TGT]   had surgery for prostate cancer  and in 2006    [TGT]   suffered a heart attack.   [TGT]   subsequently battled lung disease for years  The Hollywood Reporter also noted.
In the last decade  Lewis  who was known for  his  cranky persona and oversize ego  garnered controversy for  his  political and social views â most notably in 2007  when  he  used a gay slur during the 18th hour of  his  Labor Day telethon.  He  later apologized for the incident  saying  he  "obviously made a bad choice of words."
 Lewis  also voiced  his  distaste for female comedians several times over the last few decades  and in 2015 told the Catholic broadcaster EWTN that "refugees should stay where the hell they are."
âHey  nobody has worked harder for the human condition than I have  but theyâre not part of the human condition "  he  continued in the 2015 interview. "If 11 guys in that group of 10 000 are ISIS  how can I take the chance? I donât want to lose another Frenchman or another Englishman." In the same interview   he  also praised Donald Trump  then a candidate for president.
 Lewis  is survived by  his  wife and seven children.