The woman best known as the "Stand up Comedy Matriarch," Mitzi Shore, has died at the age of 87 after a long battle with an undisclosed neurological disease.
"It is with great sadness and very heavy hearts that we report the passing of Mitzi Shore. 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.The Comedy Store will be closed today."
Shore, mother of comedian Pauly Shore, founded the legendary Los Angeles stand up comedy club, The Comedy Store, back in 1972. Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling, Chris Rock, Jay Leno, David Letterman, and others all credit Shore for launching their careers by giving them their first break.
"It's a really sad day,'' Rock wrote on his Instagram page, where he posted a photo of Mitzi Shore. "Mitzi was the best.''
Comedian Taylor Williamson wrote, "Thank you Mitzi for creating a world for me to dream of being a part of and for allowing me to live that dream, for bringing so much laughter into the world, for `planting me in the dirt' to challenge me to become a stronger comic.''
The Comedy Matriarch was born in Michigan and grew up in Wisconsin, where she studied at the University of Wisconsin before moving to Los Angeles with her husband in 1964. The couple had four children, Peter, Scott, Pauly, and Sandy.
TMZ reports that her son, Pauly Shore, took her to the famous comedy club on Monday to say her final goodbyes. "Mom/Mitzi passed Early in the morning at 4.42 am she was 87 years old my heart lays heavy,'' Pauly Shore tweeted.
The Comedy Store announced Shore's death in a pair of tweets Wednesday morning.