Ms. Diller, a 37-year-old homemaker when she took up comedy, mined her domestic life for material, assuring audiences that she fed Fang and her kids garbage soup and buried her ironing in the backyard. She exuded an image that was part Wicked Witch of the West (a role she actually played in a St. Louis stage production of “The Wizard of Oz”) and part clown. VIA NY TIMES
A true trailblazer that one.
“From 12 on, the only way to handle the terror of social situations was comedy – break the ice, make everybody laugh. I did it to make people feel more relaxed, including myself.” P. Diller
A true pioneer she was. A comedian who kept the comedy central all the while making sure the audience knew it was a woman who was stitching their sides. Lee Unkrich, the director of Toy Story 3, said during her first recording session for A Bug’s Life she told one of the raunchiest jokes he ever heard. She will be missed.