Letters: So, these two funny guys meet

Re “The man who died laughing,” Opinion, March 24

I comment Carol Starr Schneider for writing such a wonderful tribute to her father, Ben Starr.

My dad, whom I lost in October, shared a lot of Ben’s traits. He used humor as a coping mechanism and enjoyed being funny and making people laugh.

The downside was that my sisters and I never got to know the person behind this very entertaining facade. He was a closed book as far as emotions and feelings went. He wanted to keep everything light.

I worked with Ben on a sitcom in the 1970s. It was a highly charged atmosphere, and Ben was an island of sanity and humor. I would sometimes catch him in his office with a not-so-happy look on his face. Still, the moment he saw me, he would light up and say, “Hello, dear, what can I do for you?”

Ben, meet my father Herb; I think you guys will have a lot to talk about.

Susan Straughn Harris

Glendale

ALSO:

Letters: In defense of ‘dark money’

Letters: College and profit don’t mix

Letters: Crumbs from trickle-down economics