hello. breaking news. the comedian jerry lewis dead at the age of 91. best known for iconic movies like the 234u9 nutty professor slapstick during his run with dean martin. this was key, a humanitarian. hosting the muscular dystrophy telethon for decades, and a true legend remembered by fans and entertainment and by the many children whose lives he touched. larry king sat down reporter: he was born joseph lubitsch in 1926 and became known to the world at jerry lewis. a zany and lovable fool in films such as the bellboy and the nutty professor. he hit it big teaming up with another young entertainer, dean martin. dean was the virile macho and i was the monkey, and i knew we had lightning in a barrel. reporter: martin and lewis
then as suddenly as it started, it was over. after ten years, jerry and dean called it quits. when martin and lewis parted, they were no longer friends and there were rumors the breakup would end each of their careers. instead, jerry went on to sign a $10 million contract with paramount. he made more than 30 movies solo. those movies broke new ground, unlike nearly anyone else at that time, jerry lewis had complete control. he not only acted in his films, he wrote them, produced them, directed many of them, too. years later his movies didn t do so well, and the only place left to see a jerry lewis movie was late night tv. but there was one thing, one huge long running act that never seemed to get old. every labor day the jerry lewis telethon for muscular dystrophy. and long after a legendary career in movies, club acts, and
and he was the biggest comedy star, one of the biggest movie stars in the world. put that into context for us. is there anyone today who can match that in terms of the appeal, the audience that he commanded? the fame he commanded at his peak? well, that s a good question. in comedy? i can t think of anyone. he was huge. i mean there was no one bigger. there s no team bigger than martin and lewis. of course, you had abbott and costello, other great comedy acts, but nothing can compare to martin and lewis. they worked off each other. dean was very funny, and a great straight man. jerry was a very accomplished singer, new music well. they blended well together and when they both when they got together, with frank sinatra after they had broken up,
nutty professor and bellboy. he was known for being difficult to work with and in recent years became politically outspoken and made movies up to 2016. but younger generations may remember him best for being a humanitarian hosting the jerry lewis muscular dystrophy association telethon every labor day weekend from 66 to 2010. over that span, he helped raise 2.6 billion dollars. the mda chairman releasing a statement which in part reads jerry s passion and brilliance are woven throughout this organization which he helped build from the ground up. lewis s manager adding the world has lost one of the most significant human beings of the 20th century. comedian rob schneider, jerry lewis just died another comic legend has left us. martin and lewis were the beatles of comedy. nobody was ever bigger. he was 91 years old. eric? eric: he was a great dramatic actor. remember the king of comedy, the
became one of the most popular comedy teams in history. thousands of sold out performances, 16 hit movies and dozens of radio and tv appearances. on his own, lewis signed a seven year $10 million contract with paramount in 1959. at that time, it was the largest contract ever between a studio and performer. lewis went on to fact or direct shows and movies for several decades. he later offered this advice to fellow entertainers. be a hit. score. get the audience laughing and happy. that s the secret. of success in this business. reporter: he didn t just make audiences laugh. lewis used his fame to make a difference. taking up the fight against muscular dystrophy. for more than four decades his annual labor day telethons raised money for research and treatment and almost always ended with his signature song