Tom Dreesen, the showbiz veteran and standup comedian who, for 13 years, toured the United States as the opening act for Frank Sinatra, died Wednesday, June 17 at the age of 86.
A post on his Facebook reads: “My sister and I regret to inform you that our father passed away at 5:50 this morning. He wanted you all to know how much joy you brought him through the years. He said to tell you that he loved you all. May he rest in peace.”
Dreesen died at his home in Los Angeles, a family spokesperson tells The Hollywood Reporter. No cause of death was revealed.
Born Sept. 11, 1939, in Harvey, Illinois, Dreesen made them laugh in the aisles for more than 50 years, delivering his standup routines to millions watching at home, by way of 500-plus appearances on national TV. Over time, he made regular appearances on stage in Las Vegas, Tahoe, Reno, and Atlantic City, working the crowds for such artists as Smokey Robinson, Liza Minnelli, and Sammy Davis, Jr.
Dreesen recounted his journey to the spotlight in the autobiography Still Standing, a tale that began in humble fashion as a youngster shining shoes in dark saloons on the south side of the Windy City.
It was his close friendship with Ol’ Blue Eyes that gave Dreesen some of his enduring content. He apparently had countless stories, the stuff no one else had. And he was willing to share. During an interview at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, the funnyman recounted Sinatra’s twilight years, and one particular lapse that threatened to force the legendary entertainer into a retirement he wasn’t entirely prepared for.
“There’s like 20,000 people in the arena, and I did my thing and it was a good audience,” Dreesen explained. “He went out and did three songs. He was rolling. And then he got on the fourth song and he totally blanked on the lyrics. The orchestra was down in the pit and they kept playing, not knowing that he was lost. And he started whispering into the microphone, ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.’”
What happened next could form the backbone of a feature film. “And a guy way up at the top of the audience stood up by himself, and he hollered out, ‘That’s all right, Frank! It’s all right because we love you!’ And he started to applaud. And the guy next to him started to applaud, and then hundreds of people started to applaud and then thousands. And pretty soon, the whole arena was cheering and cheering.”
And with that, the Chairman of the Board got wind in his sails. Game on. The legendary entertainment launched into the next number, “Mack the Knife,” and “he absolutely drilled that song. He hit every nuance and every lyric. It was like he was 19 years old again.” Sinatra died May 14, 1998, aged 82. Dreesen served as a pall bearer and spoke at Sinatra’s funeral, and for years kept the flame burning by hosting the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational Black Tie Gala.
Dreesen also addressed the elephant that still lingers in the room — was Sinatra in the mob? “The interesting thing about Frank Sinatra,” he says in an interview, posted on his YouTube channel, “aside from his enormous talent as an actor, aside from his enormous talent as a singer, aside from all these things, he had that mystique. Was he in the mob? Was he connected to the mob? They’re constantly showing pictures of him with the mob. Did he know those guys?” Well, of course he met them, Dreesen goes on to say, paraphrasing Sinatra. But he didn’t know them.
Dreesen is also remembered for the more serious side of his work. He advocated for fellow stand-up comics to get remunerated at The Comedy Store and formed a trailblazing interracial act with Tim Reid.
“Tom was the first comedian I met at Comedy Store in 1975,” former Late Night host David Letterman remarked in a social post. “We became friends immediately. He had wisdom and endless stories. Everyone admired him, looked up to him and wondered if he ever stopped talking. He never did, he never will. We love him for that. We’ll miss the stories. God bless you Tom.”
