Tom Dreesen, Comedian Who Led The Comedy Store Strike And Toured With Frank Sinatra, Dies At 86

Tom Dreesen, nan seasoned stand-up comedian who toured pinch Frank Sinatra, combated civilian rights-era group hostility pinch comedy, and championed salary for chap Comedy Store acts, has died. He was 86.

“It is pinch heavy sadness that nan family and representatives of legendary comedian, actor, author, and speaker Tom Dreesen denote his passing,” a connection from nan family reads. “For much than 5 decades, Tom Dreesen brought laughter, heart, and humanity to audiences crossed America.”

Dreesen died astatine his location successful Los Angeles.

“Tom was nan first comedian I met astatine Comedy Store successful 1975,” David Letterman wrote connected societal media connected Tuesday. “We became friends immediately. He had contented and endless stories. Everyone admired him, looked up to him and wondered if he ever stopped talking. He ne'er did, he ne'er will. We emotion him for that. We’ll miss nan stories. God bless you Tom.”

Dreesen, a regular connected “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” and “The Late Show pinch David Letterman,” made much than 500 nationalist tv appearances passim his career. He opened for philharmonic greats Liza Minnelli, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Sammy Davis Jr., and astir notably, Sinatra, pinch whom he linked up successful 1983 for a fewer gigs that lasted 14 years.

Dreesen and Sinatra traveled 45 to 50 cities a twelvemonth together, and nan comedian said nan crooner became for illustration a begetter to him. He told nan Desert Sun successful 2014 that he landed nan spot while successful Vegas, rushing to Harrah’s to drawback Ol’ Blue Eyes’ show.

“I’m moving done nan lobby and nan vice president of Harrah’s, Holmes Hendrickson, was talking to a heavyset feline pinch a cigar. Holmes said to me, ‘Tommy, travel here.’ So, reluctantly, I went over, and he said, ‘This is Mickey Rudin.’ I recognized nan sanction arsenic Frank’s lawyer, and he said, ‘Mickey, this is Tom Dreesen. I deliberation Tom would make a awesome opening enactment for Frank Sinatra,’” he recounted to nan outlet.

“The lawyer sewage a pained look connected his look because he had heard that a cardinal times. He winked astatine nan vice president and I caught nan wink. He said, ‘Hey, kid, if I gave you a week pinch Frank would you want much than $50,000?’ I said, ‘Mr. Rudin, put it this way. If you gave maine a week pinch Frank, would you want much than $50,000?’ He said, ‘I for illustration this kid.’”

Thomas Dreesen was calved Sept. 11, 1939, and raised successful Harvey, Ill., a suburb connected nan southbound broadside of Chicago. The kid of alcoholics, Dreesen often referenced his rough-and-tumble upbringing successful his drama sets, telling tales of small Tommy sparkling shoes successful nan taverns of nan South Side to provender his siblings.

“I was a small boy sparkling shoes astatine each nan bars. I had 8 brothers and sisters from nan beginning. We were raggedy poor. We lived successful a rat-infested, roach-infested shack,” he said during a 2021 podcast appearance. “There was a mantra successful nan vicinity I grew up successful that you only merit successful life what you activity for.”

His Uncle Frank telling jokes from down nan barroom successful 1 of these taverns first piqued Dreesen’s liking successful comedy.

“His vocabulary, his vernacular, his inflection connected definite words, he could origin this sound to travel retired of everybody that filled nan room for illustration electricity. . . they would each go 1 successful their laughter,” he said. “I utilized to emulate him. I would show immoderate of his jokes — galore that should not beryllium told connected a Catholic schoolhouse playground.”

When he was 17, Dreesen enlisted successful nan U.S. Navy. He said it was nan first clip successful his life he ate 3 meals a time and felt adjacent to his peers. After 4 years of service, Dreesen had various jobs and worked for a clip arsenic an security salesman earlier he was recruited into nan Jaycees, a men’s civic group that sought to lick problems successful nan community. Also recruited into nan group was Tim Reid, a Black trading representative.

Plaguing nan South Side astatine nan clip was supplier usage among nan youth. Dreesen and Reid said pinch schoolhouse kids astir supplier education. One time an eighth-grade student told nan brace that they were funny and suggested they go a drama duo. Dreesen and Reid took nan student’s advice, collaborated up and became nan first interracial drama duo — Tim & Tom.

In 2008, Reid joked during “The Late Show pinch David Letterman” that Dreesen was his first achromatic friend. The 2 were promoting their book, “Tim & Tom: An American Comedy successful Black and White.”

“In 1968 erstwhile we met, we had conscionable mislaid 2 of our awesome leaders, Dr. King, Robert Kennedy. We’d conscionable gone done nan ’68 convention, which was a ride,” Reid said. “There were demonstrations successful nan streets, anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, supplier revolutions, activity revolutions, riots, title riots. So we thought, what a bully clip to spell retired and do Black and achromatic comedy.”

After 5 years, nan 2 decided to spell their abstracted ways and prosecute solo careers. Reid pivoted to acting connected tv and landed a career-defining domiciled successful 1978 arsenic Venus Fly Trap successful “WKRP successful Cincinnati.” But for Dreesen, this meant sleeping successful a Nash Rambler, a broken-down car that was up connected blocks, and hitchhiking up and down Sunset Boulevard hoping to get a five-minute group astatine nan Comedy Store.

“I wouldn’t springiness up,” Dreesen told “United Podcast.”

“I believed successful my dream.”

On Wednesday, Reid shared a tribute to Dreesen connected societal media, writing, “My friend and partner has near nan stage.”

The longtime character and head continued: “He was nan kindest quality being I’ve ever known. I would not person nan occurrence I bask if we had not started nan travel together successful nan trenches.”

By nan mid 1970s, Dreesen had convinced Comedy Store caput honcho Mitzi Shore that he was worthy his weight successful jokes. “I was moving each nighttime pinch each these chartless comedians, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Robin Williams, Gallagher, Michael Keaton, nan woman waiting tables was Debra Winger, Elayne Boosler, this was nan show each night,” he said. “I don’t cognize what ever happened to those people.”

In 1979, stand-ups moving astatine nan Comedy Store started getting antsy. The tickets were trading out, and Shore was charging $5 astatine nan door, but nary of nan comics were getting paid. Dreesen helped shape his chap stand-ups and led nan landmark six-week onslaught that ended pinch Shore agreeing to salary $25 per group to performers.

Steve Lubetkin was 1 of nan comedians who picketed alongside Letterman, Dreesen and Leno, and erstwhile nan onslaught ended, he panicked aft he couldn’t get shape clip successful nan pursuing weeks. Dreesen told him not to interest and promised that he wouldn’t spell backmost to nan nine until Lubetkin was invited backmost too, but it was nary use, and the comedian leaped to his death from nan Hyatt Hotel adjacent door.

Dreesen didn’t return to nan Comedy Store for much than 40 years.

Dreesen carried nan weight of Lubetkin’s decease pinch him for years. He drew connected his early days pinch Jaycees, channeling his condolences into action and giving motivational speeches to comedians successful cities crossed nan country.

“I’ve known 5 awesome stand-up comedians who committed suicide. I cognize different 20 comedians who destroyed themselves pinch narcotics and alcohol,” he said. “If you’re an insecure, neurotic, sometimes psychotic, love-starved wreck, erstwhile you’re mediocre and unknown, erstwhile you’re rich | and famous, it doesn’t get better, you know? It gets worse because you thought rich | and celebrated was going to return distant each that angst. So that’s what I talk to them about. I thief them create these perceptions and really to visualize and self-talk, what to opportunity erstwhile you talk to yourself.”

Dreesen besides headlined sports functions, often without fee. According to The Times’ archives, he joined golf’s Celebrity Tour and was its imperishable maestro of ceremonies. “He emceed Mickey Mantle dinners, Billy Martin’s retirement, NFL alumni dinners. But play was his passion. He was nan pro’s pro. Other guys were masters of nan one-iron, Dreesen, nan one-liner,” wrote The Times, adding that Dreesen was arsenic integral a portion of nan successful play tourney arsenic immoderate astir valuable subordinate aliases Masters winner.

In 2020, he added writer to his résumé erstwhile much and released nan memoir “Still Standing...: My Journey from Streets and Saloons to nan Stage, and Sinatra.” The book, co-authored by Darren Grubb and Johnny Russo, featured a foreword by Letterman.

No matter wherever he performed aliases really large his prima shone, Dreesen was ever that kid from nan South Side: “I performed astatine nan White House, I performed for 5 aliases six different presidents, I performed for years pinch Frank Sinatra and 40,000-seat arenas successful Hawaii. I performed connected Ellis Island, wherever my ancestors came from. No matter wherever I was, if I adjacent my eyes, I spot a small boy pinch a footwear radiance container trudging done nan snowfall successful nan bitter cold, going from tavern to tavern, trying to make capable money to provender his brothers and sisters. That’s who I am.”

In a connection shared pinch The Times, his family said that beyond nan stage, “Tom was a devoted father, brother, grandfather, friend, mentor, storyteller, and motivator. He gave generously of his time, supported countless charitable causes, and inspired others done his motivational speaking, his writing, and his individual example.

“Tom Dreesen’s bequest will unrecorded connected done nan laughter he created, nan barriers he helped break, nan entertainers he inspired, and nan countless lives he touched. The family asks for privateness astatine this clip and is thankful for each nan heartfelt condolences.”

Survivors see his daughters, Amy and Jennifer, from his matrimony to Maryellen Subock, which ended successful 1984, and 7 grandchildren. His boy Tommy preceded him successful death.