LOS ANGELES (AP) – Stan Freberg, the spirited comic genius who lampooned American history in his landmark recordings “The United States of America” and was hailed as the father of the funny commercial, died Tuesday. He was 88.
Freberg died at Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center, his wife, Hunter Freberg, told The Associated Press.
His face might not have been as recognizable as other humorists’, but Freberg’s influence was arguably greater, thanks to a huge body of work assembled over 70 years that encompassed radio, television, comedy albums, advertising jingles and nightclub performances.
“He’s an American institution,” film historian Leonard Maltin once said. “His name has become embedded in our culture like Mark Twain’s.”
Freberg continued to work almost until his death. In November, he took in “The Genius of Stan Freberg,” a retrospective hosted by “The Simpson’s” Harry Shearer and attended by “Weird Al” Yankovic, the Monkees’ Micky Dolenz and others.