A National Treasure Has Passed Away

Fish (my brother-in-law) must be in mourning.

NEW YORK - The balding, bespectacled nebbish who gained cult status as the oddball Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's late night television shows has died after a long illness.

The Brooklyn-born Calvert DeForest, who was 85, died Monday at a hospital on Long Island, the Letterman show announced Wednesday.

He made dozens of appearances on Letterman's shows from 1982 through 2002, handling a variety of twisted duties: dueting with Sonny Bono on "I Got You, Babe," doing a Mary Tyler Moore impression during a visit to Minneapolis, handing out hot towels to arrivals at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. (H/T - Yahoo!)

If you were lucky enough (and young enough) to see DeForest perform his Larry "Bud" Melman routine, you will probably never forget it. He was hysterical, mostly because he played the role so deadpan. DeForest (along with Chris Elliott) were the highlights of Letterman's early days.

I'll miss you, Calvert!