Tom Dreesen, pioneering comedian and Sinatra opener, dead at 86

Tom Dreesen, who helped form one of America’s first interracial stand-up duos and later opened for Frank Sinatra, died Wednesday at 86. Publicist Lori De Waal said Dreesen died at his home in Los Angeles; a cause of death was not provided. After meeting in Chicago, Dreesen and Tim Reid formed "Tim and Tom" in 1969.

Against a backdrop of simmering racial tension, they used humor to address social issues and promote understanding between audiences of different backgrounds and worked together until the mid-1970s. Reid went on to solo success playing DJ Venus Flytrap on the TV sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, where Dreesen was a guest star.

Dreesen then built a solo act, making over 500 national TV appearances, including 60 visits to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson; he was also a frequent guest and sometime guest host on The Late Show with David Letterman. His final TV appearance came last week on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen, which replaced Stephen Colbert’s canceled CBS late-night show.

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