Sammy Shore, co-founder of The Comedy Store and father of Pauly Shore, has died. He was 92. Shore’s 70+ year comedy career began in the Catskills and took him to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. His big break was opening for Elvis at his comeback show at the Las Vegas International Hotel, according to People. Shore co-founded the legendary Los Angeles institution The Comedy Store in 1972 with his writing partner Rudy Deluca. Sammy cared more about performing than managing a club, and the business increasingly fell to his then-wife Mitzi. Under Mitzi, The Comedy Store launched the careers of comics like Robin Williams, David Letterman, Roseanne Barr, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling, Jay Leno, and more. Shore continued performing comedy, opening for Tony Bennett, Elvis, Barbara Streisand, and Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy’s son Pauly posted a heartfelt tribute to his father on Twitter, addressing his father and saying “Dad, you lived an amazing life and I’m so proud to say that you are my father. When you’re in heaven I’ll be killing the crowds night after night and carrying on your legacy.”
