Had his remains cremated because he had a lifelong fear of being buried alive.
Best remembered for his high "split fence" collars, his antics with props (especially telephones), his mispronunciations and his temperamental flare ups as he humorously portrayed a lower east side father trying to keep his family together.
Besides his wife, actress Clara Lipman, the writer Fannie Hurst and congressman William I Sirovich were at his bedside when he passed away.