Abe Vigoda was a surprising part of Conan O’Brien’s Late Show run, often appearing to do anything the comedian’s writers suggested. After Vigoda’s death on Tuesday, Conan paid tribute to the veteran character actor.
Vigoda died at his daughter’s home in New Jersey on Tuesday at age 94 from natural causes. Although Vigoda starred on The Godfather and Barney Miller, many remember him for his frequent mis-reported deaths in the media. He also had a crazy sense of humor, which O’Brien and his team took advantage of frequently.
“Abe was a huge part of our show in New York,” Conan said Tuesday, notes Entertainment Weekly. “I couldn’t believe how many times Abe would come on the show and do hilarious things for us. We used to call him up and sometimes would have the idea like 3 hours beforehand — it would usually be the silliest thing, and Abe would always come right over and do it.”
Conan then showed a montage of Vigoda’s sketches before thanking him for his humor.
You can also see some of the highlights here: