Jerry Lewis Died Heartbroken Over D.C. Snub

Jerry Lewis died being denied his dream of a Kennedy Center Honor — because the beloved funnyman was too controversial!

 Jerry, who died at the age of 91 in Las Vegas on Aug. 20, was heartbroken over continually being denied one of the most prestigious honors in show business, said sources — with the star "absolutely shocked" when talk-show host David Letterman received the honor before he did in 2012.

"Jerry is at a low point emotionally over the snub," an insider said at the time. "This man has worked hard to have one of the most stellar comedy acting careers in the history of film and TV — and, as a humanitarian, raised $2 billion with the Muscular Dystrophy Association telethons. He feels like he's just been kicked in the teeth again!"

Just the year befor the ailing "Nutty Professor" star had been abruptly dumped as host of the annual MDA telethon after leading it since 1954. But the courageous comic kept battling back. He even had to give up a film shoot in Toronto when he was rushed to a Vegas hospital in June while suffering from a yeast infection — and believed the Kennedy Center was punishing him for controversial past comments!

That included him once saying that he would, "smack Lindsay [Lohan] in the mouth." He also mocked "American Idol" contestants as "McDonald's wipeouts," and complained about women trying to be funny on stage. "I can't see women doing that," he said in 2013. "It bothers me. I cannot sit and watch a lady diminish her qualities to the lowest common denominator."

An article in the Los Angeles Times from 2005 also noted Lewis' reputation as a “tantrum-throwing egomaniac”  — and he even caused a controversy over his MDA telethons when he was accused of exploiting the handicap. “You don’t want to be pitied because you’re a cripple in a wheelchair?" he said. "Stay in your house!”

Those comments frequently had Jerry blasted as "irrelevant" — but he was never shy about campaigning for a Kennedy Center Honor. "He was in his 90s and making it clear he'd show up if honored," said one insider campaigning for the comedy legend. "Instead, he watched Mel Brooks and Bill Cosby take the stage!"