Comedian and author Phyllis Diller has passed away.

Diller began a career as a stand-up comedian as a 37-year-old mother, becoming one of the most famous comedians of her generation (you can watch her on the The Ed Sullivan Show video embedded above). Most recently, Diller had published Like a Lampshade In a Whorehouse: My Life In Comedy. Follow this link to read an excerpt from the book.

Patterson & Associates wrote about her literary career in her official biography: “She has written four best selling books for Doubleday: Phyllis Diller’s Housekeeping Hints, Phyllis Diller’s Marriage Manual, The Complete Mother, and the most recent, The Joys of Aging and How To Avoid Them (all are out of print). These books, and several comedy albums crystallize the famous Diller wit – the housewife’s lament about her hair, her clothes, her housekeeping ability, kids, pets, neighbors – the gamut of American suburban life.”

Here’s a short poem she wrote called “My Prayer”