Comedian David Brenner, one of Philadelphia’s favorite sons, has passed away at the age of 78.

Brenner’s publicist, Jeff Abraham, confirmed that the comedian succumbed to cancer at his home in New York Saturday afternoon. Website TMZ had reported earlier that Brenner was near death, fighting an extremely aggressive form of cancer. Brenner was best known as The Tonight Show guest who graced Johnny Carson’s couch the most often, with 158 appearances. He also occasionally hosted the show in Carson’s absence.

Brenner was born in Philadelphia in 1936, and returned to attend and graduate from Temple University after a stint in the Army. Brenner made his television debut on The Tonight Show, and quickly became a favorite on the talk show and game show circuit. Brenner also made his mark in stand up comedy, and was ranked number 53 on Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time. Brenner was The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Person of the Year in 1984.

Brenner was a favorite guest of Howard Stern, another Philadelphia favorite. Brenner hosted his own short lived radio talk show in 1987. In his bio on his official website, Brenner discussed his life’s ambition:

“I want to make as many people laugh, as heartily as they can, for as long as I can.”

That ambition was realized, as Brenner was still making appearances and making people laugh. His show “David Brenner Introduces Comedy Stars of Tomorrow” was well received during it’s last run during the last week of December 2013.

Brenner is survived by his wife, Olympic figure Skater Tai Babilonia, and three sons, Slade, Wyatt and Cole, from two previous marriages.

[Image Courtesy sagharboronline.com]