Dick Capri

Dick Capri, born Richard Emerick Crupi on August 11, 1931, in Reading, Pennsylvania, was an American actor and comedian whose career in entertainment spanned several decades. The son of an Italian-American family, Capri relocated to New York City after completing high school and began building his career in stand-up comedy. He died on December 26, 2024, at the age of 93, from an aortic dissection at his home in Boca Raton, Florida.

Capri established himself as a prominent figure in American comedy through appearances on major television programs, including The Merv Griffin Show and The Ed Sullivan Show in the 1960s, as well as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He performed alongside entertainers such as Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, and Tom Jones, and appeared before presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush. He also worked with Engelbert Humperdinck in a Broadway engagement.

Much of Capri's live performance work was rooted in the Catskills resort circuit, and that experience led directly to his most prominent stage credit. He appeared on Broadway between 1979 and 1991, starring in Catskills on Broadway, a revue that brought together comedians associated with the Catskills tradition, and also appearing in Engelbert on Broadway. Capri continued performing until 2021.

In his personal life, Capri was married and divorced twice, first to Barbara Cappinger and later to April Rand. He had a son, comedian Jeff Capri, with his first wife. He is also survived by his brother Frank Crupi and niece Elena Crupi.