The grumpy Mason is known for his sharp wit and sharp social commentary, usually about Jews, men and women, and his own shortcomings. His typical style is amusing.

“80% of married men cheat in the United States. The rest cheat in Europe,” he once joked. Another line of Mason’s line is: “Politics will not produce strange bed-and-seated dreams, marriage will.”

Regarding himself, he once said: “I am too self-conscious. Every time football players huddled together, I thought they were talking about me.”

His death was widely mourned-including a eulogy by the comedian Gilbert Gottfried, who called him “one of the best”, and the actor Henry Winkler ( Henry Winkler), who wrote on Twitter: “Now you can make heaven laugh.”

From the rabbi

Mason was originally named Jacob Mazza, the son of a rabbi. His three brothers became rabbis. The same is true for Mason, who had congregations in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Comedy turned out to be a more lasting call than God.

He told the Associated Press in 1987: “A person must be emotionally barren, empty, or depressed to become a comedian. I don’t think anyone who feels comfortable or happy has the motivation to become a comedian. You are looking for something for something. , You are willing to pay a high price to get this kind of attention.”

Mason began his career as the social director of the Catskill Resort in the show business. He is the one who gets everyone up to play Simon’s Talk, guessing games or shuffleboard. He also tells jokes. A season later, he played for the Catskill club to get better money.

“No one else knew me, but in the mountains, I was very popular,” Mason recalled.

In 1961, this mini-comic made a major breakthrough and appeared in Steve Allen’s weekly TV variety show.His success makes him Ed Sullivan Show And other programs.

He was suspended for two years Sullivan Allegedly, when Sullivan signaled him to end his performance in an appearance on October 18, 1964, he raised his finger at the host.

Mason’s performance even took him to Broadway, where he performed several solo shows, including Freshly squeezed In 2005, Love your neighbor 1996 and The world in my eyes In 1988, he won a special Tony Award for this.

“I feel like Ronald Reagan tonight,” Mason joked on Tony’s Night. “He has been an actor all his life, knows nothing about politics, but became the president of the United States. I am a former rabbi who knows nothing about acting, and I am receiving a Tony Award.

Reliable presence on TV

Mason calls himself an observer, observing people and learning. He said he got his jokes from these observations, and then tried them on friends. He told the Associated Press: “I would rather make a fool of yourself in front of two people than a thousand people buy tickets.”

His humor can leap from the computer and brand-name coffee to the Sen at the time. John Kerry, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Donald Trump. He was able to express ordinary Joe’s anger and made the insults in life look interesting, maybe just a little easier to bear.

“I rarely write anything down. I just think about life often and try to turn it into a phrase that will cause a joke,” he said. “I never make a joke that I don’t believe in. To me, the message is the same as the joke.”

On TV, Mason is a reliable presence, usually guest appearances in such shows 30 Rock Either The Simpsons Or as a reliable guest on late-night chat shows.He performed in front of Queen Elizabeth and his show Fearless Performed in the West End of London in 2012.

He depicted a Jewish former pajama salesman falling in love with an Irish Catholic widow, by Lynn Redgrave in a series titled chicken soup In 1989, but it did not last. During the OJ Simpson murder trial, the BBC’s Scottish Service hired Mason as a weekly commentator.

Mason’s humor sometimes goes too far. For example, when he was running for the Republican mayoral candidate Rudolf Giuliani in New York for the Republican mayoral candidate Rudolf Giuliani against the Democratic black David Dingkins dispute. Mason had to apologize because, among other things, the Jews would vote for Dinkins out of guilt.

His old friend Feld told the Associated Press that Mason has a Talmud-style outlook on life: “No matter what you say to him, he will argue with you.”

His wife, producer Jyll Rosenfeld and a daughter Sheba survived.