I first "met" Phyllis Diller as a young boy, when she voiced herself on an episode of The New Scooby Doo Movies (which, by the time I was watching, was already in syndication).  I was enthralled, and actually was sure she was another cartoon character – not a “real” person.  And if you think Phyllis Diller seemed larger than life, imagine how she appeared to a six year old!

Over the course of the next couple of decades, whenever I’d hear about Diller being on television or in a movie, I was there.  Growing-up with parents who enjoyed such shows as Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and a grandmother who loved the films of Bob Hope, I would see Diller, on screen, quite a bit for a kid in his formative years.

With the advent of YouTube, I would watch her on everything from The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show, to The Muppet Show and various Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, not to mention the clip from The Liberace Show, seen below.

Then, nearly a decade ago, I helped the friendly folks from PAPER put together their “Lost in Vegas” Fall Fashion issue (September 2003).  One of the most fun parts of that week (along with the shoot of Steven Cojocaru at the Liberace Museum) was the drive-through nuptials of PAPER’s Mickey Boardman to Ms. Phyllis Diller, at the Little White Wedding Chapel.

More recently, while watching Jane Lynch host an episode of Saturday Night Live, I cracked-up at her portrayal of Catskills comedienne ‘Peggy Zillers’ (an on-the-money homage to Diller), on the popular “Secret Word” sketch.  A bit of Diller/Lynch trivia: Diller hailed from Lima, Ohio.  And Lima – as any fan of FOX’s popular show Glee will tell you – is home to the fictional William McKinley High School, where ‘Sue Sylvester’ (the character for which Lynch has won her numerous Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Awards) works.

Diller was a multi-talented trailblazer who would open the door to the many generations of female stand-up comics who would come after her.  Funny ladies from all over the world, from Joan Rivers to Roseanne to Whitney Cummings, might never have succeeded in comedy, let alone entered the difficult profession, at all.  And we all owe her thanks for the years of laughter and joy that she brought us.

Meanwhile, she most definitely left an indelible mark on me, because now that I look back on the clips and videos, gazing upon the jewels, the cigarette holder, the fright wigs, and the dresses (not to mention the self-deprecating humor); I realize that perhaps more than almost anyone else, (for better or for worse) Phyllis Diller has been one of my greatest style role-models.  And how many guys can say that?

Phyllis Diller – R.I.P.

Get into it!