The 'Zoolander' actor shares that the 'last week or two were tougher' for his dad, who died earlier this month, but the veteran comedian had his sense of humor with him until the end.
- May 20, 2020
AceShowbiz - It's been a little over a week since Ben Stiller's dad Jerry Stiller passed away. In a new interview with The New Yorker on Tuesday, May 19, the "Night at the Museum" star recalled the last moment he and his sister Amy Stiller spent with his late father.
"My sister and I were able to be with him," he told the publication. "And, just due to the fact that he didn't have a coronavirus-related illness, and he had been ailing for a while, we were able to be with him, which I'm very, very grateful for."
Ben shared that the "last week or two were tougher" for his dad, but the veteran comedian had his sense of humor with him until the end. "He was just slowing down a lot, and he was dealing with a lot of issues. But he went peacefully, and he had a sense of humor, for sure, until the end."
"I hesitate to call it a sense of humor. He was just funny, and so he always himself. He was almost nine-three, and I think his body was kind of at that point where it was time," he continued.
Jerry passed away on May 11 at the age of 92, five years after his wife, Anne Meara, died at the age of 85 in May 2015. As Ben made the announcement amid the coronavirus pandemic, the 54-year-old actor made it clear his father's passing had nothing to do with the novel virus. "I'm sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes," he announced in a Twitter post.
In his tribute, the "Zoolander" star went on to remember the late comedian as "a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years." He concluded his post by stating, "He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad."
