Comedy star and actor Jerry Stiller has died at age 92 his son, Ben Stiller, confirmed on Twitter early Monday morning. Ben confirmed that he died of natural causes. Stiller was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1927. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II he then attended Syracuse University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Speech and Drama. 

I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad. pic.twitter.com/KyoNsJIBz5

— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) May 11, 2020

Jerry Stiller was known for playing roles of grumpy and eccentric, yet loveable characters. He was best known for his role as Frank Costanza, George Costanzo’s father on Seinfeld, a role he played for five seasons from 1993 to 1998. His role as Frank garnered widespread critical and popular acclaim and earned him an Emmy nomination in 1997 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He also won the American Comedy Award for  Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series in 1998. 

Prior to Seinfeld, Stiller and his wife Anne Meara, who died in 2015, were a formidable comedy duo known as Stiller and Meara. Stiller and Meara joined the Chicago-based improvisational comedy troupe, The Compass Group (now Second City) and they began performing in New York City Nightclubs in the early 1960s and became a “national phenomenon” according to the New York Times. They became famous and popular in the 1960s and 1970s and appeared on many variety TV programs including the Ed Sullivan Show, on which they appeared 36 times. In 1986, Stiller and Meara shot a pilot for a sitcom called The Stiller and Meara Show, which was never picked up for a series. Stiller also appeared on Kings and Queens with his wife, where Meara had a guest-starring role throughout the series. Stiller wrote an autobiography called Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara about his 50-plus year marriage to Meara, which was published in August 2000.

Later in his career, Stiller also starred with his son Ben in several films including Zoolander, Zoolander 2, Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, and The Heartbreak Kid.