Comedian Jerry Stiller dies aged 92: Son Ben pays tribute to King Of Queens and Seinfeld star as he reveals he 'passed away from natural causes'

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Comedian Jerry Stiller has died at the age of 92 from natural causes.

His son, actor Ben Stiller shared the sad news on Twitter on Monday, 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.' 

Sad newsL Comedian Jerry Stiller has died aged 92: Son Ben has paid tribute to the Kings Of Queens star as he revealed he 'passed away from natural causes'

Stiller is best known for starring as George Costanzas' father Frank, on NBC's Seinfeld and later going on to play Arthur Spooner on the CBS comedy series The King of Queens. 

He also starred in a number of films with Ben, including  Zoolander, Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, The Heartbreak Kid and Zoolander 2.

Earlier in his career, Stiller and his wife Anne Meara, who married in 1954, formed a hugely successful comedy duo, known as Siller and Meara, in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Tribute: Actor and director Ben wrote on Twitter on Monday: 'He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years'

Close: Jerry worked with his actor and filmmaker son Ben numerous times (pictured in 2012) 

After a short stint performing in nightclubs, they made it onto the TV variety show circuit, including notably 36 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Anne and Jerry were married for 62 years before she passed away in 2015.  They were parents to Ben, and his actress sister Amy Stiller.  

Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1927, Stiller made his acting debut aged 15, amid an upbringing as one of four siblings in an impoverished Polish-Jewish household. 

Iconic: Stiller is best known for starring as George Costanzas' father Frank, on NBC's Seinfeld (pictured with co-stars Estelle Harris and  Jason Alexander)

Jerry was a classically-trained actor, using a G.I. bill he earned from a stint in the army during World War 2 to graduate from Syracuse University with a B.S. in speech and drama, while he also studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village.

Stiller made his Broadway debut in 1954 in the musical comedy The Golden Apple, going on to earn roles in a long line of off and on Broadway productions throughout the fifties.

He made his screen debut in 1956 in a segment of Studio One in Hollywood. It was during this time that Jerry met his wife Anne in a casting agent's office, offering to take her out for coffee after she became upset during an altercation with an agent. 

TV star: The actor and comedian later went on to play Arthur Spooner on the CBS comedy series The King of Queens opposite Kevin James 

It was Jerry who convinced actress Anne to try comedy, and together they joined the Chicago improvisational company The Compass Players before forming their comedy partnership which was famous for playing on their oddball marriage.

After the decline in variety show popularity, the duo turned their talents to commercials, writing and starring in a string of ads throughout the 1970s and 80s, including the popular radio spots for Blue Nun wine. 

Stiller and Meara shared a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, awarded in 2007. 

Duo: Earlier in his career, Stiller and his wife Anne Meara, who married in 1954, formed a hugely successful comedy duo, known as Siller and Meara

Ben previously admitted he was keen to make a documentary about his parents, telling Stephen Colbert at the Montclair Film Festival in 2019: 'I'm actually right now putting [together] all footage of my parents [to] try and maybe make some sort of documentary. It's crazy to watch it all. There's so much stuff...

'Our living room was their office . . . I would hear them sort of working and improvising. Sometimes arguing. We didn't know if the argument was a sketch or real.'

Following his success in comedy, in the nineties Stiller returned to television, playing Frank Costanza in Seinfeld for 26 episodes from 1993-1998. 

Talented family: He also starred in a number of films with Ben, including Zoolander (pictured), Heavyweights, Hot Pursuit, The Heartbreak Kid and Zoolander 2

'My manager had retired,' he recalled of his TV career resurgence. 'I was close to 70 years old, and had nowhere to go.' 

It was Stiller who suggested he should play Frank as a larger than life crank, as opposed to the meek husband in wife Estelle Harris' shadow, which was how the role was written.  

The performance earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1997, while he won the American Comedy Award.

When Seinfeld ended in the late nineties, Stiller admitted he was ready to retire, until Kevin James asked him to take a part in his new comedy King of Queens.  

Marriage: Anne and Jerry were married for 62 years before she passed away in 2015. They were parents to Ben, and his actress sister Amy Stiller 

Stiller eventually played the role of Arthur Spooner for nine years, from 1998 to 2007.

During this time he also had supporting roles and cameos in a string of successful movies, including multiple appearances in his son Ben's films.   

Stiller also appeared in both film versions of Hairspray - the 1988 John Waters original in which he and Divine played the parents of Ricki Lake's Tracy Turnblad, and the 2007 Adam Shankman-directed adaptation of the musical in which he played Mr. Pinky. 

More recently, he guested on The Good Wife in 2011 as Judge Felix Afterman.  

Comedy legend: Last year Ben paid tribute to his father while collecting a win at the 7 Directors Guild of America Awards, calling Jerry 'the most naturally funny man in the world'

Last year Ben paid tribute to his father while collecting a win at the 71st annual Directors Guild of America Awards, calling Jerry 'the most naturally funny man in the world.' 

The speech came three weeks after Jerry was hospitalised after suffering a medical 'episode', but reports he had had a stroke were dismissed.

A source said at the time: 'He had some sort of episode and they wanted to be cautious. There's no evidence of a stroke.'

Fame: Stiller and Meara shared a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, awarded in 2007