AceShowbiz - Comedy king Mort Sahl has died, aged 94. The caustic comic, who used to perform with a trademark rolled-up newspaper, was one of of the biggest names in comedy in the 1950s and 1960s and became the first stand-up comedian to be featured on Time magazine's cover.

Sahl died on Tuesday, October 26 at his home in Mill Valley, California. He was famous for poking fun at politicians and presidents during his routines and at one point he was so in-demand he earned upwards of $1 million a year.

He was also a sought-after guest on TV talk and variety shows, and he co-hosted the Oscars and fronted the inaugural Grammy Awards. His 1955 album, "At Sunset", is considered the one of the most important recorded comedy LPs, influencing the likes of Woody Allen and many of today's veterans.

Born in Montreal, Canada in 1927, Sahl served in the Army and studied at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His stand-up career began there but he landed his big break in 1953, when he was hired to perform at a top Berkley, California club. From there, he toured with jazz greats Stan Kenton and Dave Brubeck and became a guest panellist on hit TV game show "What's My Line?"

He also appeared in the films "In Love and War" and "All the Young Men". He upset TV host Ed Sullivan by poking fun at then-President John F. Kennedy on his show and by the mid 1960s, following the death of Kennedy in 1963, his style of political humor was no longer in fashion and Sahl struggled to find work.

Following Kennedy's assassination, Sahl put his comedy career on hold to assist an investigation that concluded the murder was sanctioned by the CIA.

Sahl enjoyed a career resurgence in the early 1970s thanks to the success of his autobiography, "Heartland", and for a decade he appeared on stage and TV. His private life was marred with troubles and tragedies - all three of his marriages ended in divorce and his son, Mort Jr., died in 1996, aged 19.