Arts & Entertainment

Phyllis Diller: St. Louis Legend Dies at 95

The Webster Groves native has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame in the Delmar Loop.

Phyllis Diller, a former resident of Webster Groves who got her start in St. Louis comedy clubs, died Monday, Aug. 20, 2012. Diller turned . 

Diller has a star on the in the Delmar Loop in . According to her Walk of Fame biography, she made her name in clubs like the Crystal Palace in the old Gaslight Square area of St. Louis.

She moved to the area in 1961 and lived on Webster's Mason Ave. 

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According to The New York Times, Diller "became famous for telling jokes that mocked her odd looks, her aversion to housekeeping and a husband she called Fang."

The paper reports she made her professional debut at the Purple Onion, a San Francisco nightclub, in 1955. 

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In 1992, Diller played the Wicked Witch in The Muny's production of The Wizard of Oz.  

She retired from the stage in 2002.


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