Joey Bishop, 89

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on October 19th, 2007

We would have posted sooner, but we were on our way to Morgantown, WV.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Joey Bishop, the stone-faced comedian who found success in nightclubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack, has died at 89.

He was the group’s last surviving member. Peter Lawford died in 1984, Sammy Davis Jr. in 1990, Dean Martin in 1995, and Sinatra in 1998.

Notice how the last one of the Pack to die was the comedian!

Born in New York’s borough of the Bronx, Bishop was the youngest of five children of two immigrants from Eastern Europe. When he was three months old the family moved to South Philadelphia, where he attended public schools. He recalled being an indifferent student, once remarking, “In kindergarten, I flunked sand pile.”

In 1941 Mr. Bishop married Sylvia Ruzga and, despite the rigors of a show business career, the marriage survived until her death in 1999. Mr. Bishop, who had one son, Larry, spent his retirement years on the upscale Lido Isle in Southern California’s Newport Bay.

For all intents and purposes, a Philly comic.

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