Stand-up comic goes on extensive tour with Frank Sinatra

Tom Driessen, the entertainment industry veteran and stand-up comedian who toured the United States for 13 years as an opening act for Frank Sinatra, died on Wednesday, June 17th at the age of 86.

A Facebook post read: “My sister and I sadly lost our father at 5:50 this morning. He wanted you all to know how much joy you brought him over the years. He let you all know he loved you. May you rest in peace.”

Mr. Driessen died at his home in Los Angeles, a family spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Born on September 11, 1939 in Harvey, Illinois, Driessen has been making people laugh for more than 50 years, appearing more than 500 times on national television and bringing his stand-up routines to millions of people watching at home. Over time, he appeared regularly on stages in Las Vegas, Tahoe, Reno, and Atlantic City, attracting audiences for artists such as Smokey Robinson, Liza Minnelli, and Sammy Davis Jr.

Driessen talks about his path to the spotlight in his autobiography, Still Standing. This story begins modestly as a young man shining shoes in a dark bar on the south side of the Windy City.

It was Driessen’s close friendship with All Blue Eyes that gave him immortal content. He clearly had countless stories to tell that no one else had. And he was happy to share. During an interview at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, the funnyman spoke about Sinatra’s later years and one blunder that threatened to force the legendary entertainer into a retirement he wasn’t fully prepared for.

“There were about 20,000 people in the arena, and we did what we were supposed to do and a good crowd showed up,” Dresen explained. “He went out and played three songs. He was rolling. And by the fourth song he couldn’t remember any of the lyrics. The orchestra had gone down into the pit, but they didn’t know he was lost and kept playing. And he started whispering into the microphone, ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.'”

What happened next could form the backbone of a feature film. “Then a guy at the top of the audience stood up by himself and yelled, ‘It’s okay, Frank! It’s okay, we love you!’ And he started clapping. And the guy next to him started clapping, and then hundreds, and then thousands, started clapping. And soon, the whole arena was cheering.”

And with this, the chairman of the board raised his sails. Game begins. The legendary entertainer launched into his next song, “Mack the Knife,” saying, “He practiced that song perfectly. He hit out every nuance and every lyric. It was like being 19 years old again.” Sinatra died on May 14, 1998, at the age of 82. Driessen spoke as a pallbearer at Sinatra’s funeral, and for many years kept the torch burning by hosting the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational Black Tie Gala.

Driessen also addressed the remaining elephant in the room. Was Sinatra in the mob? “The interesting thing about Frank Sinatra is that besides his enormous talent as an actor, besides his enormous talent as a singer, besides all this, he had a mystique. Was he in the mob? Was he connected to the mob? They’re always showing pictures of him and the mob. Did he know those people?” Of course he met them, Driessen continued, borrowing Sinatra’s words. But he didn’t know them.

Driessen is also remembered for the more serious aspects of his work. He advocated for fellow stand-up comics to be paid in the Comedy Store and formed a pioneering interracial act with Tim Reid.

“Tom was the first comedian I ever met at the Comedy Store in 1975,” former Late Night host David Letterman said in a social post. “We became friends right away. He had wisdom and endless stories. Everyone admired and respected him and wondered if he ever stopped talking. He never did and never will. We love him for that. We will miss those stories. God bless you, Tom.”