How Late Comedian Ruth Buzzi and Husband Kent Proved Their Critics Wrong: ‘Their Love Was Real’

Friends of beloved Laugh-In legend Ruth Buzzi, who passed away at age 88 on May 1, say any fears they had about her marrying a much-younger man were all proven wrong by his incredible devotion to her after she received a devastating diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease 12 years ago.

Friends worried that Kent Perkins, an aspiring actor who was 15 years younger than the comic, might be using her to jump-start his career, but now they say they’re happy to report they couldn’t have been more wrong.

The two married in 1978, and nearly 50 years later, they were not only still together, but the That Girl alum called Kent her best friend and the love of her life.

“Their love was real,” says a Texas friend of the couple. “They were bound together by a real passion for each other — and their love of animals.

“They moved to Texas in 2003 and bought a 640-acre ranch in 2008. He was her rock, and she made him laugh. And when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2013, he stayed by her side.”

The insider says that while Ruth was rapidly losing her memory and ability to care for herself, she knew that Kent always would be there. And after she suffered several strokes in 2022, he never left Ruth’s side.

“Kent was her best friend, her lover, her protector, and for the past three years, her caregiver,” says the source. “After the strokes, Ruth was incapacitated and Kent bathed her, made sure she had healthy meals and would sit by her bedside.”

Sources say Kent, who has 21 acting credits himself, would carry her to and from her wheelchair and could nightly be heard reading fan mail from Ruth’s many admirers.

After her strokes, Kent posted a statement on Ruth’s Facebook page, writing, “I am living with an attitude of gratitude for 43 years of marriage to my best friend, the greatest person I ever met, the one and only Ruth Buzzi.”

An insider says that Ruth’s closest friends all kicked themselves for ever doubting he would be anything less than the perfect husband.

“Ruth and Kent never had children,” says the source. “They were each other’s world.”