One of the legends of comedy has signed off for the very last time.

Don Rickles died today of kidney failure at the age of 90.

Here's what the Straight's comedy reviewer, Guy MacPherson, wrote about a Rickles performance at Richmond's River Rock Casino in 2006:

"The weekend was capped brilliantly with a rare Vancouver appearance by Don Rickles at the River Rock Show Theatre, complete with a 14-piece band. The 80-year-old comedic matador skewered all the usual politically incorrect suspects, but his style, energy, and crowd work made this the comedy event of the year.

"He sang, with a surprisingly good voice, some novelty tunes, adding agile footwork. ('Busting my ass for a lousy hundred grand. Get the paramedics.') And some of his best lines came at the expense of his pianist.

"When a musical flourish got out of hand, Rickles turned to him and said, 'Maybe you oughta go outside and look for your name on the sign.' The only 'huh?' moment came with his last words, 'We will win the war in Iraq. We will win the goddamned war. Goodnight!' dropped the mike to the floor, and was off.

"Still, it was a perfect ending for a week of shows that was a comedy nerd's wet dream."

A month later, MacPherson interviewed Rickles. You can read the transcript here.