Rich Heldenfels, Pop Culture Wanderer

He was one of the funniest, if not the funniest, people I've ever met, as well as one of the nicest. I talked to him solo, in person and on the phone; with others, including by phone with Harvey Korman, and at a press conference where he effortlessly cracked up other people on the panel. He was extremely helpful when Tom Feran and I were doing our Ghoulardi book. I wrote a tribute to him last year, when news came out that he was ailing. You can read that again, and relish the accompanying clips, here.

Tim Conway, it's been reported, has dementia , That diagnosis would be a blow to anyone, but it's especially awful for people prized for their intelligence and wit. Tim had both of those, especially when it came to improvisation. When he did the improvisation-laden TV series "On the Spot" in 2003, working with people like Michael Hitchcock who were adept in the field, there was still a clear sense that Tim was the grand master, and once he got going, watch out. The stories of Tim cracking up the folks he worked with are legend. He became the perfect guest star, juicing up shows for decades, Look at the clip from the old "Hollywood Palace" TV show, above, where Tim pretty much reduces David Janssen to laughing tears. Or the way this monologue cracks up Johnny Carson: Those are hardly rare moments; on "The Carol Burnett Show," there was no shortage of footage of Tim taking flight, and taking apart Harvey Korman's attempts at keeping ...