Rip Taylor, Confetti-Throwing Comedian, Dead At 84

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Comedian Rip Taylor, known for his flamboyant personality and signature confetti-throwing bit, died Sunday in Beverly Hills at age 84, his publicist announced.

Taylor died at 1:59 p.m., publicist Harlan Boll said.

Taylor "suffered a seizure that has been undefined. It left him weak, and yesterday the doctors said there was nothing they could do but make him comfortable. His heart eventually gave out," Boll said.

Taylor was one of television's most recognizable personalities from the 1960s through the 1980s, thanks to appearances on "The Gong Show," "The Tonight Show," "Password," talk shows with Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and David Letterman and the coveted center square on "Hollywood Squares."

He was known for his colorful clothing and high-energy entrances, in which he would emerge onstage flinging confetti and exhorting the audience.

He was loud, insistent, and his jokes were "groaners," NPR reported, but Taylor's act was less about his bad puns, and more about letting his audience into his process.

Taylor identified as bisexual. He was married to a woman for several years, and is survived by his longtime male partner. But more importantly, his effect on television in the 1970s was unusual — his performances, just like Taylor himself, always stood out, NPR reported.

Born Charles Elmer Taylor on Jan. 13, 1935, in Washington, D.C., Taylor served in the armed forces during the Korean War. He began entertaining during his time in the military and pursued it after he left.

Taylor also entertained in Las Vegas for decades, was an accomplished voice actor, appeared on Broadway, and toured the country in lead roles in "Sugar Babies," "Anything Goes," "Oliver," "Peter Pan" and "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum."

He also hosted a short-lived parody of beauty pageants called The $1.98 Beauty Show, which was "gleefully bad and intentionally cheap," according to NPR.

He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1992.

No services are planned at this time, Boll said.

City News Service contributed to this post