LOS ANGELES — Tom Dreesen, the veteran comedian who broke ground as part of one of the nation’s first interracial stand-up duos before becoming a longtime opening act for Frank Sinatra, died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 86.
Publicist Lori De Waal confirmed his death. No cause was disclosed.
Dreesen first made his mark alongside Tim Reid after the two met in Chicago and launched the comedy team “Tim and Tom” in 1969. At a time of persistent racial tension in America, the pair built an act that used comedy to confront social issues while encouraging connection and understanding across racial lines. They remained a team until the mid-1970s.
Reid later found solo fame as DJ Venus Flytrap on the hit sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati,” a show that also featured Dreesen in a guest appearance.
Dreesen’s influence stretched well beyond his own stage career. Comedian and filmmaker Mike Binder recalled discovering the duo’s work as a child, writing on X: “When I was a kid I found an album he and his comedy partner did called Tim and Tom and took it home and played it and it was one of the albums that changed the course of my life. So great.”
After the partnership ended, Dreesen developed a successful solo act and became a familiar face on television, logging more than 500 national TV appearances. That run included 60 appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” He was also a regular guest on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and occasionally filled in as guest host. His friendship with Letterman dated back to the early 1970s, when both were working at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood, California.
Dreesen was Sinatra’s opening act for 14 years and became close with the entertainer.
“If he loved you, he worshipped the ground you walked on,” Dreesen told The Desert Sun newspaper in 2014. ”In a lot of ways, he was like a father to me. I didn’t have a father that really cared that much where I was and what I did. But Frank would give me advice and counsel, and then he was a buddy in a lot of ways. I thought the world of him.”
Dressen also toured with Sinatra’s fellow Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr., as well as Liza Minnelli, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight and Tony Orlando.
“He was one of the most brilliant comedians of all time. Tonight, he’ll once again be opening for Dean, Frank and Sammy,” Deana Martin, a daughter of Dean Martin, posted on X.
In 2008, he co-wrote the book “Tim and Tom: An American Comedy Act in Black and White” and in 2020 he authored his memoir.
Dreesen acted in such TV shows as “Columbo,” “Murder, She Wrote,” and “Touched by an Angel.” His film roles included “Spaceballs,” “Man on the Moon” and “Trouble With the Curve,” as well as the HBO movies “The Rat Pack” and “Lansky.”
Dreesen was active in charitable work, motivational speaking and veterans’ causes, including serving as ambassador for the Gary Sinise Foundation.
“America lost one of our great comedians and patriots, and I lost a dear friend,” Sinise posted on X.
He was born on Sept. 11, 1939, in Chicago and raised as one of eight children in suburban Harvey. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 17 and after getting out in 1960 he returned home to work a series of jobs, including selling insurance.
Dreesen is survived by daughters Amy and Jennifer from his marriage to Maryellen Subock, which ended in divorce in 1984, as well as seven grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son Tommy.
