Iconic Comedy Store owner Mitzi Shore, the "godmother of comedy" in Los Angeles, dies at 87

Los Angeles Times

David Letterman babysat her children, Jay Leno slept on her club's back stairs and Jim Carrey tended bar for her. Shore influenced the careers of everybody from Robin Williams to Garry Shandling, Roseanne Barr, Jimmie Walker, Bob Saget and, of course, Letterman, Leno and Carrey. In fact, Carrey's Showtime series I'm Dying Up Here is inspired by his Comedy Store past, with Melissa Leo essentially playing Mitzi Shore. The Comedy Store released a statement saying Shore, who died after battling Parkinson's Disease, "was an extraordinary businesswoman and decades ahead of her time who cultivated and celebrated the artistry of stand-up comedy. She was also a loving mother, not only to her own four children, but to the myriad of comedians who adored her. She leaves behind an indelible mark and legacy and has helped change the face of comedy. We will all miss her dearly." The Comedy Store was her fifth child. She was, according to Los Angeles Times' Paul Brownfield, "all-powerful, during a remarkably fertile time for stand-up comedy — the 1970s and early '80s — when many of today's comedy stars showed up in L.A. to go onstage at the only place that mattered."

ALSO:

• Son Pauly Shore, Marc Maron, Whitney Cummings pay tribute to Mitzi Shore on Twitter
• The Comedy Store released a star-studded "Thank you Mitzi" video just three days ago
• Kathy Griffin: "Mitzi Shore was a pioneer who gave more comics their start than I can count...I did my first legit comedy gig at the Store"
• Watch David Letterman's The Comedy Store 15-year reunion Top 10 list
• Pauly Shore tweeted his mom's final days -- he took her for her final visit to The Comedy Store on Monday