Stan Freberg, a famed satirist whose talents spanned radio, television and records, has died at age 88.
Freberg’s son, Donavan wrote on Facebook that his father died, but did not give any further details. “To me, the father I knew and loved dearly and still very much do left me over a decade ago,” Donavan wrote. “He was, and will always be my hero and I will carry his brilliant legacy forward as best I am able.”
The Los Angeles native began working on radio in the early 1940s. During the decade, he also focused on working in cartoons, specifically in Looney Tunes, voicing characters opposite Mel Blanc. As Deadline points out, among the characters he voiced was Pete Puma, who had some unfortunate run-ins with Bugs Bunny. He continued working in cartoons for the rest of his career, and even voiced the beaver in Disney’s Lady and the Tramp.
Freberg was also known for his irreverent commercials and hit musical parodies. He won a Grammy in 1959 for The Best of the Stan Freberg Shows, a collection of recordings from his radio show, notes The Hollywood Reporter. His records also included a Dragnet parody called St. George and the Dragonet, which was a No. 1 hit in 1953.
Other hit records include “Wun’erful Wun’erful,” “Banana Boat Song” and “Nuttin’ For Christmas.”
And when it came to television, Freberg helped create Time for Beany, a puppet show that featured droll humor and won an Emmy.
Considering his career, it should be no surprise that ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic is a fan. He paid tribute to Freberg on Twitter.