David Letterman’s mother Dorothy Mengering – a longtime staple on his Late Night and Late Show – has passed away. Last night, a spokesperson for Letterman confirmed that Mengering died at home yesterday in Carmel, Indiana at age 95. Here’s an excerpt from the obituary Letterman and his siblings Jan and Gretchen wrote for her, in which they recall how she “flawlessly stepped into the role of Olympics correspondent and pie baker on her son’s late night television show†and made “the perfect foil for his comedy and full lifeâ€:
Perhaps the Mengerings’ most memorable travels were the result of “Dave’s Mom†becoming a huge hit on television. She covered the Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, Nagano, Japan and Utah. Her assignments included landing interviews with big-name athletes and spectators. One spectator, Hillary Clinton, commiserated about her husband’s and Dorothy’s son both having “lead feet†that caused them to get speeding tickets. The Mengerings were guests at the White House with the Olympians. In addition to the Olympics, Dorothy Letterman Mengering appeared regularly on Late Show with David Letterman, remotely from her Carmel kitchen where she made David try to guess what kinds of pies she had baked for Thanksgiving. He did not often guess correctly, but the bit always revealed beautiful homemade desserts. She also appeared many times on Mother’s Day and her birthday, deadpanning Top 10 Lists that often made good fun of her son.
Mengering died just a day before Letterman’s 70th birthday today. Check out some clips of her appearances on his shows below: