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**Written by Doug Powers

From the time I saw Airplane in a movie theater at the age of about 15, I was hooked on Leslie Nielsen’s style. His comedic timing and delivery was impeccable. He’d had a lengthy career before that which covered many genres and characters, but Airplane directors and writers Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers had successfully tapped into what Leslie Nielsen was born to do: Make people laugh.

Leslie Nielsen passed away on Sunday:

Leslie Nielsen, who went from drama to inspired bumbling as a hapless doctor in “Airplane!” and the accident-prone detective Frank Drebin in “The Naked Gun” comedies, has died. He was 84.

His agent John S. Kelly says Nielsen died Sunday at a hospital near his home in Ft. Lauderdale where he was being treated for pneumonia.

Nielsen has been responsible for making me laugh more than almost anybody, with the possible exceptions of Johnny Carson and Michael Dukakis, and he’ll be greatly missed.

A commenter at Free Republic wrote, “I hope they allow whoopie cushions in heaven.” I do too, but if not, maybe Leslie can get the rules changed so the rest of us can laugh at him when we get up there like we did down here.

To that end, I just want to say good luck, Leslie, we’re all counting on you.

**Written by Doug Powers

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