Tom Driessen, who with partner Tim Reid formed America’s first interracial stand-up comedy duo and later spent years as an opening act for Frank Sinatra, died Wednesday. He was 86 years old.
Mr. Driessen died at his home in Los Angeles, publicist Lori de Waal said. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
After meeting in Chicago, Driessen and Reed, who was black, formed “Tim and Tom” in 1969. Against a backdrop of smoldering racial tensions, they used humor to address social issues and promote understanding between audiences of different backgrounds. They worked together until the mid-1970s. Reed went on to find solo success playing DJ Venus Flytrap on the popular TV comedy “WKRP in Cincinnati,” in which Driessen guest-starred.
“When I was a kid, I found an album that he and his comedy partner made called ‘Tim and Tom,’ and I took it home and played it. And it was one of those albums that changed the course of my life. It was amazing,” comedian and director Mike Binder wrote in X.
After parting ways with Reed, Driessen pursued a solo comedy career, making more than 500 national television appearances, including 60 visits to “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” He was also a frequent guest on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and was sometimes the guest host. Their friendship dates back to the early 1970s when they worked at the Comedy Store in West Hollywood, California.
Driessen’s last television appearance was last week on “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen,” which replaced Stephen Colbert’s canceled CBS late-night show.
Dresen served as Sinatra’s opening act for 14 years and became close with the entertainer.
“If he loved you, he worshiped the ground you walked on,” Driessen told the Desert Sun in 2014. “In many ways, he was like a father to me. I never had a father who cared all that much about where I was and what I did. But Frank gave me advice and mentorship. And he was a sidekick in many ways. I believed the world in him.”
Dressen also toured with Sinatra’s Rat Pack members Sammy Davis Jr., Liza Minnelli, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, and Tony Orlando.
Dean Martin’s daughter Deanna Martin posted on X: “He was one of the greatest comedians of all time. Tonight he will be opening for Dean, Frank and Sammy again.”
In 2008 he co-authored the book “Tim and Tom: Black and White American Comedy Acts” and in 2020 he wrote a memoir.
Dresen appeared in TV shows such as “Columbo,” “Murder She Wrote,” and “Touched by an Angel.” His film credits included “Spaceballs,” “Man on the Moon,” and “Trouble with the Curve,” as well as the HBO films “The Rat Pack” and “Lansky.”
Driessen was active in philanthropy, motivational speaking, and veterans’ causes, including serving as an ambassador for the Gary Sinise Foundation.
“America has lost one of its greatest comedians and patriots, and I have lost a dear friend,” Sinise wrote on X.
He was born in Chicago on September 11, 1939, and grew up in suburban Harvey, one of eight children. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 17, and upon his discharge in 1960, he returned to his hometown and worked a series of jobs, including selling insurance.
Driessen has daughters Amy and Jennifer from his marriage to Maryellen Sabock, which ended in divorce in 1984, and seven grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, Tommy;
