Free Republic

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Actor and comedian Dom DeLuise, whose big screen classics included "The Cannonball Run," "Spaceballs" and "History of the World Part I," died on Monday night at a Los Angeles hospital, Access Hollywood has confirmed. He was 75. The actor has starred in dozens of films over the years, often teaming up with off-screen pal Burt Reynolds. Most recently, he was working on the CGI live-action fantasy film "Instant Karma," starring Dwayne Johnson, Pierce Brosnan and Mira Sorvino. Reynolds and DeLuise both had "voice" roles in the film.

Another comic great has died. Dom DeLuise passed away at a Los Angeles hospital around 6:00 PM Monday, reports TMZ. A film and TV staple since the mid-1960's, DeLuise was an expert foil for other performers, including Dean Martin, Mel Brooks (in six of his films) and Burt Reynolds, with whom he starred in the "Cannonball Run" flicks. In 1980, he played the lead in "Fatso," a film written and directed by Anne Bancroft, the late wife of Mel Brooks. A noted gourmand, DeLuise authored two books of his Italian recipes, and wrote several children's books. He voiced numerous characters...