MINNEAPOLIS — Pauly Shore was most likely the last comic to bid farewell to Louie Anderson. And that's appropriate. The "Encino Man" star's mother was the late Mitzi Shore, who ran the famed Comedy Store in Los Angeles and was one of the first gatekeepers to recognize Anderson's talent.
Shore visited Anderson at a Las Vegas hospital last month, roughly 12 hours before the beloved Minnesotan died.
"I wanted him to see a loving face," Shore said Friday night after posing for pictures for hundreds of fans after a show at the Mall of America's House of Comedy. "I told him that my mom loved him."
Shore, who has lived in Las Vegas during much of the pandemic, said the hospital initially told him that visits were limited to family members. But Anderson's sisters made sure he got to see the comedy legend.
Shore said that Louie clearly recognized him, saying his name more than once. He was able to give him a goodbye kiss and a hug.
"I cried," Shore said.
The comedian, whose other credits include "Son in Law" and "Bio-Dome," also mentioned Anderson during Friday's late-night performance.
"Louie was the best," he told the boisterous crowd. "He used to breast feed me as a kid."
Shore said backstage that he suspects the Comedy Store will have some kind of tribute to Anderson. It will be similar to one the club had for the late Bob Saget but specific details have not yet been planned.
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