In Memorium

Shecky Greene, known for his Las Vegas nightclub performances, died on New Year’s Eve 2023 at the age of 97

Shecky Greene, at the age of 97, died at his Las Vegas residence on Sunday, 31 Dec. 2023.

Shecky Greene, at the age of 97, died at his Las Vegas residence on Sunday, 31 Dec. 2023.

Shecky Greene, at the age of 97, died at his Las Vegas residence on Sunday, 31 Dec. 2023. Greene, a hugely talented comedian, was well-known for his Las Vegas nightclub performances. Understandably, possibly because of how popular he was with both Las Vegas residents and tourists alike, Greene was a headliner during the 1950s and ’60s.

“Shecky Greene was not your grandpa’s comedian, but with little modern memory of what Shecky Greene’s act consisted of, the symbolic nature of his name has been distorted. His contemporaries remember his irreverence,” according to a lengthy article penned for WFMU.

“They say he was the most unforgettable comedy performer they ever saw. Ask them what he said on stage — nobody has a clue. He was and always would be a creature of the nightclub; flying off on wild tangents and pulling remarkable stunts, climbing walls and fighting owners.

“He invented a hysterical, free-form approach to comedy that the confines of a five minute television spot could not handle.”