DPA /Washington
Phyllis Diller, 95, a groundbreaking comedienne who was the first star to speak openly about cosmetic surgery in Hollywood, died on Monday at her home in Los Angeles, her agent, Fred Westbrook, told broadcaster Fox News.
A trained pianist, Diller was a mother of six who later started her career in the 1950s as a standup comic. She was a staple on US television starting in the 1950s through the 1980s.
A protege of Hollywood legend Bob Hope, Diller was best-known for her self-deprecating humour about her looks, marriage and bad cooking. She had her first plastic surgery in 1972, Westbrook said, and soon turned it into a running joke.
