Jonathan Winters' Death (1925-2013): Watch His Classic 'It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World' Performance

Jonathan Winters was not known for his acting. The brilliant improvisational comic, who died of natural causes at the age of 87 on Thursday, did not do his best work when he was tied to a script.  As the New York Times' obituary of Winters noted,  “'Jonny works best out of instant panic,' one of his television writers in the 1960s said. He thrived when he could ad-lib, fielding unexpected questions or pursuing spontaneous flights of fancy. In other words, he made a brilliant guest, firing comedy in short bursts, but a problematic host or actor." more »