Mitzi Shore, the owner of The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, one of the most preeminent comedy clubs in the country, has died at the age of 87. The venue’s official Instagram account announced the news on Wednesday with a black and white photo of Shore and a statement. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the news soon after.
“It is with great sadness and very heavy hearts that we report the passing of Mitzi Shore,” reads the official statement. “Mitzi was an extraordinary woman and leader who identified, cultivated and celebrated comedy’s best performers. She helped change the face of comedy and leaves behind an indelible mark and legacy in the entertainment industry and stand-up community. We will all miss her dearly.” To mark the somber occasion, the venue — which is typically open every night of the year — will be closed all day and night on Wednesday.
Shore’s son, the actor and comedian Pauly Shore, confirmed her passing on Twitter Wednesday morning. “Mom/Mitzi passed Early in the morning at 4:42 am,” he wrote. “My heart lays heavy.” Over the weekend, Pauly revealed in a series of tweets that he had been canceling shows and “laying low” due to Mitzi’s deteriorating condition in hospice care. Neither he nor the club revealed what the official cause of death was.
Shore took over the club in 1974 after she won it in a divorce settlement from the comedian Sammy Shore, who co-founded it with comedy writer Rudy De Luca. The venue opened two years prior and a month before Johnny Carson brought The Tonight Show to Los Angeles from New York City. While it barely managed to stay afloat under their management, it truly didn’t flourish until Mitzi took the reins and transformed it into a breeding ground for comic talent. As historian Kliph Nesteroff notes in his book The Comedians, “She immediately implemented changes and turned it into a proper business.”
Many of the most famous, successful, and influential American stand-ups since the late ’70s owe their careers to Shore and her Comedy Store. The timing of the club’s success with Carson’s arrival in California also helped, as Tonight Show talent scouts would frequent the venue. There are far too many examples to name, of course, but they include Richard Pryor, Freddie Prinze, Robin Williams, Roseanne Barr, Garry Shandling, Louie Anderson, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Billy Crystal, Marsha Warfield, Chris Rock, Chelsea Handler, Marc Maron, and Whitney Cummings.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
