Joseph Charles Michael Tafarella

 Joseph Charles Michael Tafarella, known as Steve Rossi (May 25, 1932 – June 22, 2014)

The comedian was discovered by Mae West, who, with her manager Jerry Franks, saw him in 1953 as the lead of The Student Prince at the Civic Light Orchestra in Los Angeles. In 1957, he formed the Allen & Rossi comedy duo with Marty Allen. Rossi played straight man to Allen, and the pair made many appearances together in the 1950s and 1960s, including 44 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. They released multiple comedy albums; co-starred in a feature film, The Last of the Secret Agents?; and also performed live in Las Vegas. Rossi continued his singing career as a solo artist, recording for several labels in the 1960s and 1970s, including ABC Records' ABC-Paramount label, Red Bird Records, Roulette Records, and Columbia Records. Following the breakup of Allen & Rossi in 1968, he teamed for less than three months with Joe E. Ross in an act called "Rossi & Ross". In 1969, he announced a pairing with comedian Slappy White, creating the comedy act Rossi & White. He later rejoined Allen for a few performances, as well as a film in 1974. Rossi appeared as a guest on The Howard Stern Show many times in the 1980s and early 1990s. Rossi died in a Las Vegas hospice on June 22, 2014 from cancer, aged 82. He was married and had two children. Rossi is buried at Palm Memorial Park in Las Vegas, Nevada.