Jackie Mason, who turned kvetching into comedy gold, dies at 93 A former rabbi, Mason made comic capital as a Jew feeling his way — sometimes nervously, sometimes pugnaciously — through a perplexing gentile world. By William Grimes New York Times July 24, 2021 — 8:27pm Text size Copy shortlink: NEW YORK — Jackie Mason, whose staccato, arm-waving delivery and thick Yiddish accent kept the borscht belt style of comedy alive long after the Catskills resorts had shut their doors, and whose career reached new heights in the 1980s with a series of one-man shows on Broadway, died Saturday in Manhattan. He was 93. Mason's death, at a hospital, was confirmed by his longtime friend, lawyer Raoul Felder.