David Frye Dies

Comic David Frye, whose impressions of Presidents Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson and other prominent political figures vaulted him to popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, has died in Las Vegas, his family confirmed Saturday. He was 77.
Among other venues, Frye performed at colleges and nightclubs across the country as well as on television programs such as the “Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”

He reached the height of his popularity doing exaggerated impressions of Nixon, with his shoulders hunched and face bowed down. He also devoted several albums to Nixon before Nixon resigned as president in 1974 amid the Watergate scandal.

Born David Shapiro in 1934 in Brooklyn, Frye also imitated such political and entertainment figures as Hubert Humphrey, George Wallace, William F. Buckley, Walter Cronkite, Kirk Douglas and Howard Cosell.

He recorded the albums “David Frye Presents the Great Debate” in 1980 and “Clinton: An Oral History” in 1998, but never again saw the level of fame he achieved in the Nixon years.

Worst Excuses of All-Time

When you get caught red-handed doing something, how you respond can tell a great deal about your character. Now, here are others that didn’t quite work for some high profile people.

Winona Ryder
The excuse: "I was doing research for a role in 'Shopgirl.'"

Barry Bonds
The excuse: “I never asked.”

Bill Clinton
The excuse: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”

Nicole Richie
The excuse: “Really bad cramps.”

Charlie Sheen
The excuse: “He had an adverse allergic reaction to some medication.”

Sarah Palin
The excuse: “It’s a surveyor’s symbol.”

Lindsay Lohan
The excuse: “Someone stole my passport.”

Eddie Murphy
The excuse: “I was giving her a ride home.”

Paris Hilton
The excuse: “I thought it was gum.”

Richard M. Nixon
The excuse: “I am not a crook.”

Ashlee Simpson
The excuse: “I have severe acid reflux.”

Michael Jackson
The excuse: “I got caught up in the excitement of the moment.”

Britney Spears
The excuse: “I did it with my dad. I’d sit on his lap and I’d drive. We’re country.”

Robert Blake
The excuse: “I’m a human being, I’m not a machine. I’m 72. I’m dyslexic!”

Larry Craig
The excuse: “I have a wide stance.”

Whitney Houston
The excuse: “I’m too rich to smoke crack. Crack is whack.”

Jeffrey Donovan
The excuse: “It was the Benadryl.”

Tom Sizemore
The excuse: “Package problems.”

Ichiro Suzuki
The excuse: “I was sending mental signals for the ball not to come my way, because during that time of day it's impossible for me to see the ball so I lacked mental signals.”