New York comedian Hiram Kasten has died at 71 after battling prostate cancer for seven years.
KASTEN’S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Kasten appeared as Michael on the very popular TV series Seinfeld from 1993 to 1994. He rose to fame after being a frequent performer at Comic Strip in New York. His friend Jerry Seinfeld also performed there in the past. Kasten also performed stand-up at Improv, the Comedy Cellar, Carolines on Broadway and Dangerfield’s during his career, according to Fox News.
Seinfeld
Source: https://www.facebook.com/hiram.kasten
Scene from Seinfeld. Image by facebook.com/hiram.kasten
Jerry Seinfeld passed Hiram on his first audition, and he became a regular. The two actors/comedians became close friends and had a friendship for 45 years. Kasten Seinfeld while doing stand-up at the Comic Strip where Seinfeld worked as the MC.
In addition to Seinfeld, Kasten appeared on several other TV shows, including Mad About You, Everybody Loves Raymond, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Saved by the Bell, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, reported Los Angeles Times.
RETIREMENT FROM ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
According to Kasten’s wife, Diana Kisiel Kastenbaum, the actor’s health took a turn in 2017. He was battling prostate cancer and his lifelong Crohn’s disease. He decided to retire from the entertainment industry due to the decline in his health. His friends were unaware of the severity of his diagnosis. Kasten only revealed the severity of his diagnosis to friends in the last six months, telling his friends that he was terminally ill.
His passing was ‘only hours after their 38th wedding anniversary’, said his wife.
A funeral service will be held at Schwartz Brothers-Jeffers Memorial Chapel in Forest Hills, New York on Tuesday, 18 June. Additionally, a public memorial service will be held in Los Angeles later this year, but the date is still undecided. To read his obituary published by The Batavian, click here.
His obituary states how he ‘loved show business and lived his dream of being in show business’ but ‘his most satisfying and greatest role though was as a family man’ to his wife Diana and daughter, Millicent Jade Kastenbaum.
JERRY SEINFELD IN LOW SPIRITS
Jerry Seinfeld looked downcast as he stepped out for dinner in Sydney on Monday following the death of his close friend and co-star. Seinfeld, 70, appeared sombre as he left the Italian restaurant Fratelli Paradiso in Potts Point, Sydney. He is in Australia for his stand-up comedy tour. Daily Mail reported that, at one point, Seinfeld put on a brave face as he smiled and waved at fans while leaving the restaurant.