Howard Remembers Frequent Stern Show Guests the Iron Sheik and Comedian Pat Cooper
“He put it all out there, he was always shot out of a cannon,” he says of Cooper and his 52 appearances
June 12, 2023
On Monday, Howard remembered not one but two iconic Stern Show guests who recently passed away — wrestling legend the Iron Sheik and comedian Pat Cooper.
Sheik, who was born Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri and died at his Georgia home at the age of 81, was a Greco-Roman wrestler before finding fame in Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation. In fact, his high-profile feud with Hulk Hogan has been credited with helping grow the Hulkamania movement, and the popularity of the WWF in general.
“He would scream at anyone,” Howard said of the eight-time guest. “We would just call in as Hulk Hogan … and then he’d just fucking erupt, it was unbelievable. I mean, he’d really froth at the mouth — it was genuine.”
Hogan wasn’t the only adversary of Sheik — he also had beef with Wack Packer Beetlejuice after the two shared a hotel room for a comedy gig once. “I thought it was a shtick, but he was like really pissed,” Howard noted. “He just thought like Beetlejuice was fucking with him.”
Still, Howard recalled the inspirational side of Sheik’s story. “He is the embodiment of the American dream,” he suggested. “He came over from Iran, he was broke, he didn’t know any English, he worked his ass off and he got famous — and we enjoyed him on the show.”
Pat Cooper, born Pasquale Caputo, died at his Las Vegas home at the age of 93. The comedian, who got his big break on “The Jackie Gleason Show” in 1963 and performed with the likes of Frank Sinatra, had a resurgence in the 1980s when he began appearing on the Stern Show.
“He was a fantastic guest on the show — I loved Pat,” Howard said of Cooper, who over his 52 appearances was known to squabble with several members of his family. “He put it all out there, he was always shot out of a cannon.”
“A naturally funny man,” co-host Robin Quivers added.
Howard also admitted he was pleasantly surprised the comedian lived to 93, considering how worked up he’d get. “He lived a nice long life — I was shocked because he yelled so much,” he said. “I thank him dearly for all the great performances he did on our show.”
