Barbara Rickles: What happened to Don Rickles’ wife?

Barbara Rickles

Barbara Rickles was the wife of Don Rickles. Barbara Rickles’ husband Don was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He gained a reputation among fans, especially for his insult comedy. His film roles included Run Silent, Run Deep with Clark Gable, Carl Reiner’s Enter Laughing, Clint Eastwood’s Kelly’s Heroes, and Martin Scorsese’s Casino with Robert De Niro.

Barbara Rickles: Bio Summary

NameBarbara Rickles
Famous as wife of Don Rickles
Date of BirthSeptember 2, 1936
Birthplace Pennsylvania, in the United States of America
Age at time of death84 years old
Date of deathMarch 14, 2021
place of death Los Angeles, California, United States of America
EthnicityCaucasian
NationalityAmerican
Zodiac SignVirgos
Children Mindy Rickles, Larry Rickles

Who is Don Rickles’s wife Barbara?

Barbara Rickles was born on September 2, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America as Barbara Sklar. Sadly Barbara passed away at the age of 81. Aside from being a producer, she was very popular for being the wife of Don Rickles.

How did Don Rickles and his wife Barbara meet, fall in love, and start their relationship? A native of Philadelphia, Barbara Rickles (Barbara Sklar) met her future husband through the comedian’s film agent, for whom she worked briefly. The two became friends and went on a couple of dates before taking things to the next step when they got married and started a family.

Barbara Rickles and her husband, Don Rickles exchanged their vows on March 14, 1965, in a beautiful wedding ceremony in the presence of their loved ones. Their marriage was also blessed with two children — the actor-comedian Mindy Rickles and screenwriter-producer Larry Rickles, who died in 2011.

In Don’s 2007 memoir, Rickles’ Book, he called his wife “the world’s best sport. I say that because even though she quickly became a character in my routines, she never complained.” He also went on to say -“Barbara didn’t blink when I told audiences in New York, Miami and Las Vegas about me swinging from the chandelier during our wedding night….. I’d talk about her like she was a shopaholic. If I could get a laugh out of painting her as a spoiled princess, I did it…. Of course, none of that was true.

For decades, Barbara Rickles’s husband cracked jokes about her looks, about their sex life, and her alleged love of jewelry. When he appeared with Frank Sinatra on the “Tonight” show in 1976, he begged the singer to set him up with someone.

“I need a girl so bad,” the comedian said in mock despair. “I love my wife, but she’s ill.” Near the end of his life, he was filmed reminiscing with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, with whom he worked in the 1995 film “Casino.” The conversation turned to marriage. 

You’re married again, right? You’re happy?” Rickles said to Scorsese. “Yeah, been married 20 years,” Scorsese said. “I’m married to Barbara — which is a mistake,” Rickles responded. “Nah, that’s a joke. She’ll hear it and say, ‘That’s not funny.‘”

Barbara Rickles was a producer

Barbara Rickles later became a producer and also gained some credits on films and TV shows she featured in. These include Kathy Griffin: My life of the D and George Burns Celebrates 80 Years in Show Business. According to her IMDB, she was a producer, known for Don Rickles Live in Concert, This Is Your Life, and Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project.

Barbara and Don stuck it together even though they had their own private ups and downs moments. They stayed together until he died in 2017. The two love birds have been spotted often socializing with another enduring Hollywood couple, Bob Newhart and Ginny Newhart. Barbara’s husband sadly died in April 2017 of kidney failure at the age of 90.

ALSO, READ; Ginny Newhart: Everything About Bob Newhart’s wife

What happened to Don Rickles’ wife, how did she die?

Barbara Rickles, the widow of Don Rickles sadly passed away on what would have been their 56th wedding anniversary. According to her spokesmanPaul Shefrin, she passed away of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a type of cancer that occurs in the lymphatic system of an individual.

ALSO, READ; Marcia Harvey, Steve Harvey’s ex-wife

They were incredibly devoted to each other. She was the perfect woman for Don and vice-versa,” Shefrin took to his Facebook page and wrote. In an email Monday to The Associated Press, he wrote that she knew his “take my wife” jokes “were part of the act.

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  • Kennedy Gedzah is a graduate of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology-KNUST (2018). He is the Owner and has been the lead content creator at Dicytrends.com since 2020. His Passion for providing people with credible and well-researched information on the internet led him to build Dicytrends.com. With more than 5 years of experience in blogging and writing, he has amassed sufficient knowledge on various topics, including biographies, fashion and lifestyles, Entertainment, and more. You can contact him via email: Kgedzah@gmail.com

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Kennedy Gedzah

Kennedy Gedzah is a graduate of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology-KNUST (2018). He is the Owner and has been the lead content creator at Dicytrends.com since 2020. His Passion for providing people with credible and well-researched information on the internet led him to build Dicytrends.com. With more than 5 years of experience in blogging and writing, he has amassed sufficient knowledge on various topics, including biographies, fashion and lifestyles, Entertainment, and more. You can contact him via email: Kgedzah@gmail.com

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