Comedy legend Carl Reiner, 'Dick Van Dyke Show' creator, dead at 98

Reiner wrote four volumes of memoirs, including "I Just Remembered" in 2014, as well as children's books. Reiner also scored a major TV hit by creating and co-writing The Dick Van Dyke Show, starring the popular entertainer, before going on to achieve renown as the director of Steve Martin's best known films.

Carl Reiner, the comedy actor and creator whose career spanned eight decades, has died at the age of 98.

Carl Reiner, pictured on his own (left) and with his son Rob Reiner (right) ha died aged 98 in his home.

Additionally, Reiner would direct many episodes of The New Dick Van Dyke Show, and in 2004, he'd appear in the reunion special The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited alongside Van Dyke. He would go on to appear in shows titled Inside U.S.A. and Alive and Kicking on Broadway. The series was based on his experiences working on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, and Reiner earned his first two Emmys, in 1956 and 1957, for his performances.

Reiner's theatrical career began in 1947 when he was cast in the revue Call Me Mister.

He continued, "When we were doing "The 2000 Year Old Man" together there was no better straight man in the world".

Steve Martin - the star of several films directed by Reiner, including The Jerk, All of Me with Lily Tomlin, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid and The Man With Two Brains - tweeted on Tuesday, "Goodbye to my greatest mentor in movies and in life". He recounted his childhood and creative journey in the 2013 book, I Remember Me.

"We love you, Carl", he added, along with a cheerful photo of himself, Reiner and prolific director Mel Brooks.

Reiner, the Bronx-born son of a watchmaker, started in entertainment as a teenager in a touring theater troupe that performed Shakespearean plays. In more recent years, Reiner had a recurring role as Saul Bloom in Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, and Ocean's Thirteen.

"When asked, 'Of all the theatrical projects you've done in your life, what are you most proud of?' I always say, hands down, it's creating and producing 'The Dick Van Dyke Show.' It was a labor of love", Reiner told Fox News in a statement in 2019.

Reiner won nine Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award during his career.

In 1943 he married cabaret singer Estelle Lebost, who would become renowned herself for her one-line role in her son's film When Harry Met Sally: "I'll have what she's having".

But Reiner never strayed far from television, continuing to make guest appearances on various shows such as "Two and a Half Men" and "Hot in Cleveland" well into his 90s, as well as keeping up a busy Twitter account. Associated Press contributed to the report.