R.I.P.!

Professor Irwin Corey — Dead At 102

'World's Foremost Authority' begged on streets for fun!

professor irwin corey dead
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Professor Irwin Corey — the beloved “Tonight Show” regular who specialized in double-speak — passed away at the age of 102 on Feb. 6, 2017. The longtime “Tonight Show” guest had finally retired after working steadily into his 90s.

Corey began doing his comedy routine as “The World’s Foremost Authority” in 1942, carefully gathering his notes on a podium before starting with a resounding: “However…!”

He soon became a television favorite — starting with Jack Paar on “The Tonight Show,” and also regularly guesting with Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin. He was also regularly welcomed back to “The Tonight Show” set by Johnny Carson.


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Hugh Hefner also hosted the Professor on “Playboy After Dark,” and the comic later received over 4,000 votes while running for President on the Playboy Ticket in 1960.

Corey’s career also saw him creating a few timeless phrases. Al Capone gets the credit, but it was Irwin Corey who first said: “You can get further with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word.” Corey also famously declared: “If we don’t change direction soon, we’ll end up where we’re going!”

Corey went into a deep depression after losing his wife of 70 years in 2011, but soon found the spirit to start performing again — and was still going onstage at the age of 98.

He also enjoyed being a real character in New York City, and would often walk the sidewalks to do a little panhandling. Plenty of confused tourists gave him cash — which Corey would later donate to charities.