A true comedy legend who had performed in Pahrump is being remembered.
Marty Allen, who first gained fame and national attention decades ago with partner Steve Rossi, died on Monday in Las Vegas at the age of 95.
Allen, suffering from complications related to pneumonia, was admitted to a Las Vegas rehab facility last weekend.
It was one year ago this week when Allen and his second wife Karon Kate Blackwell last performed at the Pahrump Nugget Events Center.
At the time, the 93-year-old Allen said he was looking forward to their appearance in Pahrump.
The comedy duo first performed at the Nugget in February 2016.
Allen and Blackwell both actually considered living in the Pahrump Valley at one time, after moving to Nevada more than 25 years ago.
“When we were first moving to Las Vegas years ago, we actually looked at some rural homes with some acreage in the Pahrump area but that was a long time ago, but we found a house in Las Vegas in 1991, that we both could agree on,” Blackwell recalled. “We have been in Nevada for quite some time and we consider ourselves natives now.”
Allen also maintained a very charitable personality throughout his life.
In 1968, he made a “Hello Dere” tour of military hospitals around the country.
The term is a catchphrase the comedian popularized.
As a World War II veteran, Allen also received the Soldier’s Medal for Bravery while stationed in Italy.
Allen and Rossi were a comedy team throughout the 50’s and 60’s, where they appeared on hundreds of television shows, including the Ed Sullivan Show where the Beatles first appeared on American television screens back in February 1964.
After the pair decided to amicably part ways in the 1960s, Allen branched out on his own, often accepting roles on daytime television, including being a regular on the Hollywood Squares and other celebrity-themed game shows.
In 1960, Allen married Lorraine ‘Frenchy’ Allen, and remained so until her death in 1976.
Rossi passed away back in 2014.
Later on in his career, Allen became a regular entertainer on the Las Vegas Strip, where in 1984, he met and eventually married Blackwell.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter:@pvtimes