A comedian, Brooks was hardly noticed until singer Perry Como discovered him playing the character he created in 1969 that made him famous: a funny drunk. Brooks drew on his own excesses with alcohol to create the character.
“I never drew a sober breath from Friday night to Monday,” he once said. “[In 1964], I quit. Fellow made me a $10 bet I couldn’t quit, and I haven’t had a drink since. At the time I needed the $10.” Brooks was a frequent guest on the Dean Martin’s Celebrity Roasts, giving slurred testimonial to the honoree.
Teri Elmendorf, Brooks’ daughter, says recovering alcoholics often told him that the act “gave them the laughter they needed to get through their recovery.” In addition, she said, he was a spokesperson for Mothers Against Drunk Driving “and did public service announcements in many states.” Brooks died December 20 at home in Encino, Calif. He was 89.