Paul Lynde

Paul was a stand-up comedian at the Number One Fifth Avenue nightclub in New York City before being "discovered" appearing in a Broadway play, New Faces Of 1952.

Paul's tombstone has his birthyear incorrectly shown as 1927, instead of 1926, and has not been changed.

Paul was 5 feet 11 inches tall.

When Paul was 10 years old, he became very ill with peritonitis after an appendectomy and was bed-ridden for nearly a year. His mother out his bed in the dining and continually fed him, which led to his lifelong eating disorder after his gaining 100 pounds in that period of time.

Paul had a specially-built sofa made for his Beverly Hills home that could seat up to 30 people, which he called "the orgy couch."

Paul gave diet tips in Mission Impossible star Peter Lupus' book, "Celebrity Body Book" (1980).

Paul beat out Tony Randall, the producers' initial choice, for the voice of Templeton, the rat, in Charlotte's Web (1973).

Paul was a Boy Scout as a child.

Paul had three brothers (Richard, Corydon, Johnny) and two sisters (Helen, Grace).

One of Paul's early jobs was as an ambulance driver, and according to Paul: "I wore the cap, the white coat, and loved to go tearing through the streets with bells clanging. Then one night I answered an emergency call and found my patient was already dead. Somehow I got him into the ambulance but got so sick and frightened I threw my uniform away and left the scene. For all I know, the stiff and the ambulance might still be parked where I left them."

Paul's personal friends included Johnathan Winters, Elizabeth Montgomery, Maya Angelou, Harvey Korman, Lucille Ball, Kaye Ballard, and Alice Ghostley.

Paul was honored by his hometown of Mount Vernon, Ohio, with a "Paul Lynde Day" on July 10, 1963.

Paul was featured on the cover of TV Guide on February 10, 1973, and cover of People Magazine on September 13, 1976.

Paul was made an honorary member of Weight Watchers in 1977.

Paul lived on the floor above the town jail as a boy, where his father was sheriff.

Paul won two Emmys for Outstanding Individual Achievement In Daytime Programming in 1975 and 1979 for his work on "Hollywood Squares."

Paul hired David Letterman to write jokes for him in October 1976.

The coroner who examined his body said he had the heart of an eighty-eight year old man.

To explain his lifelong bachelorhood to fans (at a time when "coming out" was not possible), he often told them his high school sweetheart had broken his heart, and he was still too hurt to date other women.

For most of his life, he fought to control a weight problem.

Although he never publicly admitted he was gay, it was well known among his friends and family, and an "open secret" in Hollywood.