The King of Queens’ Kevin James Pays Tribute to Late Co-Star Jerry Stiller

The comedy world lost a legend this week, as it was announced Monday morning that beloved actor Jerry Stiller had died at the age of 92. Stiller first made it big on the stage, putting on a famous act with his wife, Anna Meara. In his later years, Stiller became a staple of sitcoms, guest-starring in several episodes of Seinfeld as Frank Costanza, the father of Jason Alexander’s George Costanza. His work on that series earned him an Emmy nomination and ultimately landed him a starring role in long-running comedy The King of Queens, alongside Kevin James and Leah Remini.

Stiller starred as Arthur Spooner, the father of Remini’s Carrie Heffernan, who lived in the basement of the couple’s home in New York City. He appeared in all 206 episodes of the series, and formed a close bond with his co-stars, as well as families across America. After the news of Stiller’s death arrived on Monday, James took to Instagram to pay tribute to his longtime TV dad.

“One of the most kind, loving, and funny people to ever grace this earth,” James wrote in the post. “Thank you for so many incredible memories. I love you and miss you. Requiescat in pace.”

The news of Stiller’s passing came from the actor’s real-life son, actor and filmmaker Ben Stiller.

“I’m sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes,” Stiller wrote in the tweet. “He was a great dad and grandfather, and the most dedicated husband to Anne for about 62 years. He will be greatly missed. Love you Dad.”

Jerry Stiller worked on-screen with his son in both Zoolander movies, taking on the role of Derek Zoolander’s manager, Maury. His final on-screen role came in 2016’s Zoolander 2.