Comedy trailblazer Tom Dreesen, Sinatra’s longtime opening act, dies at
86
[June 18, 2026]
By BETH HARRIS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tom Dreesen, who along with partner Tim Reid formed
one of America's first interracial stand-up comedy duos and later spent
years as Frank Sinatra's opening act, died Wednesday. He was 86.
Dreesen died at his home in Los Angeles, according to publicist Lori De
Waal. A cause of death was not provided.
After meeting in Chicago, Dreesen and Reid, who was Black, formed “Tim
and Tom” in 1969. Against a backdrop of simmering racial tension, they
used humor to address social issues and promote understanding between
audiences of different backgrounds. They worked together until the
mid-1970s. Reid went on to solo success playing DJ Venus Flytrap on the
popular TV sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati,” where Dreesen was a guest star.
“When I was a kid I found an album he and his comedy partner did called
Tim and Tom and took it home and played it and it was one of the albums
that changed the course of my life. So great,” comedian and filmmaker
Mike Binder wrote on X.
After splitting with Reid, Dreesen honed a solo comedy act, making over
500 national TV appearances, including 60 visits to “The Tonight Show
Starring Johnny Carson." He also was a frequent guest and sometime guest
host on “The Late Show with David Letterman." Their friendship dated to
the early 1970s when both worked at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood,
California.
Dreesen's final TV appearance came last week on “Comics Unleashed with
Byron Allen,” which replaced Stephen Colbert's canceled CBS late-night
show.
Dreesen was Sinatra's opening act for 14 years and became close with the
entertainer.
“If he loved you, he worshipped the ground you walked on,” Dreesen told
The Desert Sun newspaper in 2014. ”In a lot of ways, he was like a
father to me. I didn’t have a father that really cared that much where I
was and what I did. But Frank would give me advice and counsel, and then
he was a buddy in a lot of ways. I thought the world of him."
Dressen also toured with Sinatra's fellow Rat Pack member Sammy Davis
Jr., as well as Liza Minnelli, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight and Tony
Orlando.
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Comedian Tom Dreesen talks to the media during a news conference in
La Quinta, Calif., on Jan. 18, 2011. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)
 “He was one of the most brilliant
comedians of all time. Tonight, he'll once again be opening for
Dean, Frank and Sammy,” Deana Martin, a daughter of Dean Martin,
posted on X.
In 2008, he co-wrote the book “Tim and Tom: An American Comedy Act
in Black and White” and in 2020 he authored his memoir.
Dreesen acted in such TV shows as “Columbo,” “Murder, She Wrote,"
and “Touched by an Angel.” His film roles included “Spaceballs,”
“Man on the Moon” and “Trouble With the Curve,” as well as the HBO
movies “The Rat Pack” and “Lansky.”
Dreesen was active in charitable work, motivational speaking and
veterans’ causes, including serving as ambassador for the Gary
Sinise Foundation.
"America lost one of our great comedians and patriots, and I lost a
dear friend,” Sinise posted on X.
He was born on Sept. 11, 1939, in Chicago and raised as one of eight
children in suburban Harvey. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 17
and after getting out in 1960 he returned home to work a series of
jobs, including selling insurance.
Dreesen is survived by daughters Amy and Jennifer from his marriage
to Maryellen Subock, which ended in divorce in 1984, as well as
seven grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son Tommy.
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