Phyllis Diller, the veteran TV comedian who made an art of self-deprecation, has died, according to The Associated Press. She was 95.
"The world has lost a true trailblazer, a gracious and kind woman, beloved by all," according to a statement posted at Hollywoodreporter.com and attributed to her manager, Milt Suchin. "She died peacefully in her sleep and with a smile on her face," Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. at her Los Angeles home Suchin said.
Diller's career began exactly 50 years ago on radio, but a segue to TV shortly thereafter yielded some classics, notably her frequent appearances on "Laugh-In" and a long association with Bob Hope that yielded nearly two dozen TV specials and numerous visits to Vietnam as part of his USO tour.
Diller also had a brief Broadway run in "Hello, Dolly!" in 1969. There was a famed big-screen role, as "Texas" Guinan in 1961's "Splendor in the Grass."
