Pat Paulsen, the comedian who ran for U.S. president several times, has died while undergoing treatment for cancer in Mexico, his publicist said Friday. He was 69.
Paulsen, best known as the double-talking "editorialist" on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," died Thursday of complications brought on by pneumonia and kidney failure as a result of recent non-cancer surgery, Glenn Schwartz said in a statement. Paulsen had been battling colon and brain cancer for 18 months."The family encourages others to seek alternative forms of treatment and not give up hope for their loved ones," said his wife Noma, who was with him when he died, along with their three children.
"He was a dear friend, and a great part of the Smothers Brothers' success was due to him. He was one of the great comedians of our time," Tom Smothers said in a statement.
Paulsen was best known for his appearances on the Smothers Brothers show in the late 1960s, for which he won an Emmy in 1968.