Jerry Stiller, Legendary Comedian and "Seinfeld" Actor, Dead at 92

Legendary comedian Jerry Stiller — one half of the 1960s husband-and-wife comedy team Stiller and Meara and perhaps best known as Frank Costanza on Seinfeld — has passed away at the age of 92.

The actor’s son, Ben Stiller, confirmed the news on Twitter early Monday morning, writing, “I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.”

I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes. He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad. pic.twitter.com/KyoNsJIBz5

— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) May 11, 2020

Stiller appeared in fewer than 30 of the 180 episodes of Seinfeld, yet his performance as Frank Costanza stands as one of the series’ most iconic. He’ll forever be linked to the made-up holiday of “Festivus,” and he’s responsible for many of the show’s most memorable moments, including his mysterious conversation with a man in a cape , his quest for “serenity now” and a confrontation with Elaine that led to the show’s most famous blooper. (You can watch that clip below.)

After Seinfeld, Stiller went on to portray another famous TV father, appearing as Arthur Spooner on The King of Queens for nine seasons. Tributes to him began to pour in on social media Monday morning; actor Josh Gad wrote, “There was nobody who quite turned a phrase like Jerry Stiller, and Hank Azaria said, “He was a lovely man — always so kind to me.”

My heart goes out to @RedHourBen & his entire family on this very difficult loss. Thank you Jerry for your brilliant comedic prowess. There was nobody who quite turned a phrase like #JerryStiller & few who got to create a holiday iconically linked to them. Happy eternal Festivus https://t.co/qDb9fFvrHB

— Josh Gad (@joshgad) May 11, 2020