Surely You Must Be Joking! Leslie Nielsen Passed Away?*

I'm not joking and quit calling me Shirley.

Canadian actor Leslie Nielsen, who most famously achieved global success in comedy movies such as "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun," has died aged 84, Manitoba radio station CJOB reported Sunday.

His death was first reported in unconfirmed messages on Twitter late Sunday that suggested the actor had died in the hospital after suffering from pneumonia.

His nephew Doug Nielson, told CJOB that Leslie had been in the hospital in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for 12 days and that with family and friends by his side at 5:30pm Sunday "he just fell asleep and passed away."

Before he starred in Aiplane!, he was a known as very serious actor, i.e., The Forbidden Planet.

Jim Abrams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker offered him the role as the doctor and he jumped at it. Giving Nielsen a second chance in show business with a comical career.

Something about ones that made you laugh, you will miss the most.



This isn't to highlight the 'Surely' gag but the more overshadowed line: "What is it?". If I remember my movie right, it was dropped a few times.

*All too many blogs probably used this gag as a title for Nielsen's passing. Low hanging fruit. But-- on some level-- I don't think Leslie would mind.