Sarah Silverman mourns the death of her father, Donald Silverman: 'My best pal'
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Sarah Silverman is mourning the death of her father, Donald Silverman, who set her on a path to comedy and was a fixture of her jokes and writing.
"My best pal, Schleppy - my dad, died last night," the actress and comedian wrote in a heartfelt Instagram post Thursday, alongside a collection of photos of the two together over the years. "All the sisters, and grandkids surrounded him with love and singing and very dark [f---ed] up jokes this final week."
Silverman noted that her father was recently preceded in death by her stepmother, Janice, who was married to Donald for more than 40 years. "He always said he was the richest man in the world because of his family, and he was," Silverman added.
As Silverman recounted in her 2010 memoir The Bedwetter, she inherited much of her dad's sense of humor and learned the art of swearing from him at a young age. "It was like he was teaching a 'cursing as a second language' course for one," she wrote.
Donald himself recalled to the Guardian in 2013, "She was just so cute as a baby, so I taught her the worst words. One day when Sarah was about four, my mother came over with some brownies and Sarah shouted at her, 'Shove 'em up your ass, Nana!' It was terrific."
Silverman's father was, naturally, a staunch defender of her coarse brand of comedy, and he also garnered his own fan base with a curmudgeonly Twitter account skewering life in Boca Raton, Fla.
In 2018, Silverman's Hulu series I Love You, America featured a segment about her and Donald, then 81, preparing for his eventual demise, including the making of a video will.
"I don't need any fanfare," he said. "Just figure that I did my best, had a good time while I was here. Sometimes when you're sitting around bulls----ing, talk about me a little bit, and let me go as easy as possible. That's it — I love my daughters, I love my grandchildren, I love my Janice. I've had a goddamn good life, now let me die in peace."
"I love you, Daddy," Silverman responded.
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