# Rip Taylor
**Rip Taylor** (January 13, 1931 – October 6, 2019) was an American comedian and actor, born Charles Elmer Taylor Jr. in Washington, D.C., known for flamboyant confetti-throwing stage appearances, a walrus mustache, and a bushy toupee, and for hosting the beauty-pageant parody *The $1.98 Beauty Show*.[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/rip-taylor-madcap-comic-personality-dies/2019/10/07/65982d1e-e900-11e9-85c0-85a098e47b37_story.html) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2019-10-06/rip-taylor-comedian-obit)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and dates | Charles Elmer Taylor Jr., born January 13, 1931, in Washington, D.C.; died 2019, in Beverly Hills, California, aged 88[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/rip-taylor-madcap-comic-personality-dies/2019/10/07/65982d1e-e900-11e9-85c0-85a098e47b37_story.html) |
| Stated age discrepancy | He often listed his birth year as 1935, which is why some obituaries first reported he was 84[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/rip-taylor-madcap-comic-personality-dies/2019/10/07/65982d1e-e900-11e9-85c0-85a098e47b37_story.html) |
| Trademark act | Throwing confetti over audiences, with a blaring theme song of "Happy Days Are Here Again"; the toss began when he tore up his script on *The Merv Griffin Show* in 1969[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/rip-taylor/) |
| Signature show | Host of *The $1.98 Beauty Show* (1978–1980), ending each episode by awarding the winner rotten vegetables and $1.98 in coins[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/rip-taylor) |
| Television volume | More than 2,000 guest appearances on shows including *The Tonight Show*, *Hollywood Squares*, *The Gong Show*, and *The Merv Griffin Show*[2](https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2019-10-06/rip-taylor-comedian-obit) |
| Voice work | Emmy-nominated for voicing Uncle Fester in the animated *The Addams Family*[2](https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2019-10-06/rip-taylor-comedian-obit) |
| Death | Congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, after hospitalization following a seizure[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0853067/bio/?mode=desktop) |
## Early life and the crying comedian
Taylor worked as a congressional page before serving in the Army during the [Korean War](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-war), where he began performing stand-up.[1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/rip-taylor-madcap-comic-personality-dies/2019/10/07/65982d1e-e900-11e9-85c0-85a098e47b37_story.html) His comedy career developed in clubs and in the Catskills, where he created the crying bit that defined his early career. "I sat on a stool telling jokes, and nobody was laughing," he told [United Press International](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-press-international) in 1992. "In desperation, I pretended to cry as I begged them to laugh. That killed 'em."[2](https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2019-10-06/rip-taylor-comedian-obit) He said the character name "Rip" came from that routine.[2](https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2019-10-06/rip-taylor-comedian-obit)
His first big television break came on *The Ed Sullivan Show* in 1964, where the host, forgetting Taylor's name, would ask for "the crying comedian."[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0853067/bio/?mode=desktop) • [1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/rip-taylor-madcap-comic-personality-dies/2019/10/07/65982d1e-e900-11e9-85c0-85a098e47b37_story.html) In 1966 he toured Las Vegas with [Judy Garland](https://www.edgepedia.org/judy-garland) and [Eleanor Powell](https://www.edgepedia.org/eleanor-powell), and he later opened for stars including [Frank Sinatra](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-sinatra), Sammy Davis Jr., and Judy Garland.[2](https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2019-10-06/rip-taylor-comedian-obit) • [6](https://www.thewrap.com/rip-taylor-colorful-confetti-throwing-comedian-dies-at-84-obit/)
## The confetti persona
The confetti toss began in 1969 on *The Merv Griffin Show*, when Taylor, bombing, tore up his script and threw the pieces at the audience.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/rip-taylor/) The gesture grew into his signature: huge bags of confetti thrown over audiences, along with loud outfits, exaggerated eyebrows, and a walrus mustache.[7](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/madcap-comedian-rip-taylor-dead-at-84/) Nicknames included "The King of Camp and Confetti," "The Prince of Pandemonium," and "The Crying Comedian."[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0853067/bio/?mode=desktop)
He was a frequent celebrity panelist on game shows including *Hollywood Squares*, *To Tell the Truth*, and *Match Game*, and a judge on *The Gong Show*.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/rip-taylor) Chuck Barris, that show's host and creator, was impressed enough to offer Taylor the hosting job on *The $1.98 Beauty Show*, a parody of beauty contests that aired from 1978 to 1980.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/rip-taylor)
## Stage, film, and voice work
On stage, Taylor appeared in *Anything Goes*, *A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum*, and *Sugar Babies*, taking over for [Mickey Rooney](https://www.edgepedia.org/mickey-rooney) in the last of these; he also played Fagin in *Oliver!* and [Captain Hook](https://www.edgepedia.org/captain-hook) in *Peter Pan*.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/rip-taylor) He wrote and performed an autobiographical one-man play, *It Ain't All Confetti*.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/rip-taylor)
In film he played himself in *Wayne's World 2* and appeared at the end of each of the three *Jackass* films, raining confetti to mark each film's conclusion.[2](https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2019-10-06/rip-taylor-comedian-obit) His voice work included *The Jetsons* and *The Addams Family*, the latter earning him an Emmy nomination for voicing [Uncle Fester](https://www.edgepedia.org/uncle-fester).[2](https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2019-10-06/rip-taylor-comedian-obit)
## Death
Taylor died on October 6, 2019, at [Cedars-Sinai Medical Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/cedars-sinai-medical-center) in Los Angeles, after being hospitalized the previous week following a seizure; the cause was congestive heart failure.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0853067/bio/?mode=desktop) • [8](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2019/10/06/Rip-Taylor-campy-comic-and-game-show-personality-dies-at-84/5551570416019/) He was survived by his longtime partner, Robert Fortney.[2](https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2019-10-06/rip-taylor-comedian-obit)
## References
1. [Rip Taylor, madcap comic personality, dies at 88 – The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/rip-taylor-madcap-comic-personality-dies/2019/10/07/65982d1e-e900-11e9-85c0-85a098e47b37_story.html)
2. [Rip Taylor dies; game show personality hosted 'The $1.98 Beauty Show' – Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2019-10-06/rip-taylor-comedian-obit)
3. [Rip Taylor – TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/rip-taylor/)
4. [Rip Taylor – Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/rip-taylor)
5. [Rip Taylor – Biography – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0853067/bio/?mode=desktop)
6. [Rip Taylor, Colorful Confetti-Throwing Comedian, Dies at 84 – TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/rip-taylor-colorful-confetti-throwing-comedian-dies-at-84-obit/)
7. [Madcap Comedian Rip Taylor Dead At 84 – CBS Los Angeles](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/madcap-comedian-rip-taylor-dead-at-84/)
8. [Rip Taylor, campy comic and game show personality, dies at 84 – UPI](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2019/10/06/Rip-Taylor-campy-comic-and-game-show-personality-dies-at-84/5551570416019/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Stand-up comedy and comedians › Musical and variety comedians*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license