'Second City' Comedy Troupe Founder Bernie Sahlins Passes Away at 90

The 'SC TV' TV show producer died peacefully
in his home in Chicago on Sunday, June 16, his
widow Jane Nicholl confirmed.
The American
comedy industry
lost one of its
most admired
innovators in the
person of
Bernard
"Bernie" Sahlins,
founder of the
improvisational
comedy troupe,
The Second City
and producer of
the hit comedy
series "SC TV".
Sahlins died
peacefully at the ripe age of 90 in his home in
Chicago on Sunday, June 16, survived by his
wife and now his grieving widow Jane Nicholl,
who confirmed his death.
By establishing "Second City" with Paul Sills
and Howard Alk in 1959, Sahlins became
instrumental in launching the careers of some
of the most talented comics on " Saturday
Night Live" like the late John Candy and John
Belushi, "Ghostbusters" co-stars Harold Ramis,
Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray, as well as Gilda
Radner.
His unparalleled track record in discovering
the best in the industry got him credited for
"the greatest revolution in American comedy,"
according to "Police Academy" star Tim
Kazurinsky. Comedian George Wendt tweeted
on Sunday that Sahlins was "a mischievous
imp, with the mind of Bertrand Russell," one
of the most brilliant minds of the 19th
century.
Apart from his work in comedy, Sahlins was
also a producer of dramatic theatre, having co-
founded the Playwrights Theatre Club, where
he served as the business director. He also had
a famous rivalry with the late improvisation
guru Del Close who believed in the purity of
improvisation as an art form as opposed to
Sahlins who thought it was best used as part of
a script.