It seems like we have been losing a lot of beloved celebrities lately, and Jerry Stiller is one of the most recent. The well loved comedian recently passed away at the age of 92 on May 11th. He may have left this earthly world, but he left behind his son, Ben Stiller, who will be able to continue the family legacy of making us laugh. The loss of his father has Ben looking back on the love his parents shared, and thankfully he is sharing that love with the world.
Ben shared the story with Sunday Today of how his parents fell in love in the first place all those years ago. Ben’s mother was Anne Meara, a comedian, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 85. His parents had been in love for 61 years. Ben stated that they first met in a cafeteria in New York when Jerry went in for a cup of coffee. Anne had asked Jerry to steal some silverware for her, because she thought her apartment could use a second set. When he actually did steal the silverware, Anne couldn’t let him go.
Ben said from that moment on, Jerry would have stolen silverware for her for the rest of his life, because he was completely “devoted to her.” The love birds worked together on multiple projects throughout their lives, including ‘The Tonight Show’ and ‘The King of Queens.’ Ben remembers watching them work and perform together, as he got to witness it often growing up.
Ben said that his parents would take him around set, and he got to meet many idols of his, including William Shatner. It must have been in his blood, but Ben grew up to follow the same route his parents took. Ben said that his father was very overprotective and loving, and that he never yelled at him. He was also like that with strangers he would meet on the streets.
The love that Ben describes his parents as having is something a lot of people wish for, and it may bring some comfort to think that maybe they are finally reunited. That they are sitting up there someone, telling jokes and stealing of the other angel’s silverware.