The AP reports that Jonathan Winters is gone:

Jonathan Winters, the cherub-faced comedian whose breakneck improvisations and misfit characters inspired the likes of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, has died. He was 87.

Winters was one of the earliest comedy influences I had as a young actor, thanks to syndicated reruns of Mork and Mindy. When I discovered his records and his performances in movies and other shows in the pre-Internet world, his rapid-fire wit really blew me away.

Winters was a pioneer of improvisational standup comedy, with an exceptional gift for mimicry, a grab bag of eccentric personalities and a bottomless reservoir of creative energy. Facial contortions, sound effects, tall tales — all could be used in a matter of seconds to get a laugh.

In particular, his voice and mimicry work was most influential on me as a young, non-white (or "off-white") actor. I always played either the "ethnic other" or "the guy with an accent". He taught me by example that you can be funny and interesting without making yourself the joke. He transformed the art of silly into something more intellectually stimulating and dynamic. He has been one of my idols since I was a kid, and I'm less sad knowing that I still haven't seen everything he did that was recorded.