Jean Carroll, 98, one of the first women to succeed at stand-up comedy, died January 1, 2010, at a hospital in White Plains, New York. According to news reports, the cause was congestive heart failure.
Carroll, who thrived on vaudeville, in nightclubs and on television, was known for a quick wit and a gift for snappy repartee.
Although her popularity waned over time, she was enormously popular in the 1950s, when she appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show more than 20 times.
Her many talk-shows appearances included Frankie Laine Time and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. She also had a short-lived comedy series, The Jean Carroll Show.
Her success in stand-up comedy, which at the time was an almost exclusively male province, made her a pioneer and a role model to others who followed her, such as Lily Tomlin, who cited her as an inspiration.
Carroll melded glamour and comedy, often appearing on stage in jewels and fur.
She was born Celine Zeigman in Paris on January 6, 1911. Her Jewish family emigrated to the United States when she was 18 months old and she was brought up in the Bronx. While still a teenager she joined the vaudeville circuit as part of a dance act and in the early 1930s met Buddy Howe, an acrobat.
Forming their own act, called Carroll and Howe, they married in 1936 and spent the next three years touring Britain.
When America entered the Second World War and Howe was drafted, Carroll continued to work as a successful solo comedienne.
Howe, who became a talent agent after the war, died in 1981.
She is survived by a daughter, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.