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My mother is really going to missJerry Stiller.
And, duh, I am, too.
He was a legend.
Ive celebratedMaury squeezing out that droplet of pissmore times than I can remember.
Its funny what emotional attachments we make.
Jerry Stiller was one of my moms guys.
Nothing in her character description or on her Facebook profile would suggest that Jerry Stiller would be her guy.
My moms a West African Muslim immigrant who settled with my father in 1980s Brooklyn.
Nigerians dont do well with back talk.
I can only guess that the white sitcoms just werent interesting or relevant to my family.
We didnt really getMad About You.
Of course, there are shows so good that relatability didnt matter much.
He couldnt explain it, but Brad Garrett really cracked him up.
I havent a clue when my mom met Arthur Spooner, Jerry Stillers character fromThe King of Queens.
Suddenly, he was just kind of always around.
Well, he lived to 92, she said.
Thats a full life.
And thank God it was natural causes.
Yes, thank God.
Its weird to say about a beloved figures death, but the phrase natural causes was a relief.
I asked my mother what she liked so much aboutKing of Queens.
She liked Stiller, of course, and Leah Remini (she 1,000 percent botched Leahs name).
She liked how New York the show is.
It felt familiar to her.
Arthur Spooners Rego Park is white as hell, with the exception of Dougs best friend, Deacon.
My mom works with the elderly, or at least she did before COVID-19 slowed the city down.
My mom loves her seniors.
She tells the loveliest stories about them.
The seniors are mostly sweet and funny.
Some are loud, cantankerous, particular.
Arthur Spooner is very particular.
And hes a trickster.
My mom loves an elderly trickster.
It was a long time ago.
Way before white flight.
They probably still called East New York New Lots back then.
That piece of information was a pleasant surprise.
I never knew Jerry Stiller was from where Im from.
I told my mom that Jerry Stiller is from East New York, too.
I heard her smile through the phone.
