Tributes pour in for late comedian, Chicago area native Tom Dreesen
Tom Dreesen, whose decades-long career as a comedian and entertainer took him from a poverty-stricken childhood in Harvey to sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in entertainment, has died at 86.
Tom Dreesen, the Harvey native, became one of America's most recognizable stand-up comics, appearing dozens of times on "The Tonight Show" starring Johnny Carson and later with David Letterman—eventually, he earned a spot among entertainment royalty as Frank Sinatra's opening act for over a decade.
Just two years ago, he performed a sold-out show at the Den Theatre in Wicker Park.
"He had a ton of energy on stage. He brought that in here. I mean this room lights up when a performer comes in and ignites it, and he definitely did that," said Ryan Martin.
Martin owns the theatre and says he will always cherish sitting down with Dressen for a podcast.
"There's just a lot of depth to that particular conversation that I'll always appreciate," Martin said. "He gave us this spirit of like real generosity and caring and fun and funny and enjoyed himself and didn't take himself too seriously either"
Dreesen, A longtime Cubs fan, would regularly sing the 7th Inning Stretch at games. The Cubs and their marquee, along with so many others around Chicago and the country paid their respects.
" I was dumbstruck. Tom has been part of my life for 30 years now," said friend Tom Rapoport. Tom was good at hiding what was going on, you know, he was struck with cancer over 13 years ago."
Before the fame, Dreesen broke barriers.
Alongside Tim Reid, they formed what is widely credited as the nation's first interracial comedy duo.
Rapoport, a former Sun-Times sports columnist and friend, co-authored a book about the unlikely comedy pairing.
"He was at ease with everybody, with Sinatra and Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, who he toured with and all the rest, but with people from Harvey, Illinois, too," he said.
A comedian, storyteller, Navy veteran, and proud Chicagoan, Tom Dreesen leaves behind a legacy built not only on laughter but on kindness too.
