When you think of Phyllis Diller, you think of her wild wigs, her outrageous outfits, and that laugh—oh, that laugh! But here's the thing: while most of her stand-up persona was a character she created, the laugh? That was all her. Genuine. Authentic. Real. Let me tell you, folks, that laugh was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to Phyllis Diller's incredible personality.

Her Natural Laugh Was Her Signature

"That was her natural laugh," says Richard Buskin, co-author of Phyllis' autobiography, in an exclusive interview with Closer Weekly. "Even when we were talking about tragedy, there was laughter. That's just who she was." You see, Phyllis had this ability to find joy in the most unexpected places. She could turn a tough situation into a joke, and that's exactly what made her so special. She didn't just entertain people—she connected with them on a deep, personal level.

Growing Up Funny

Phyllis was born into a pretty quiet life in Lima, Ohio, as the only child of older parents. But let me tell you, she wasn't about to let that stop her from having fun. According to her son, Perry Diller, she had to entertain herself, and that's where her vivid imagination came from. "She was a little buzz saw," Perry says. And that's exactly right. From a young age, Phyllis had a knack for making people laugh, even if it was just herself.

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A Tough Road to Success

Life wasn't easy for Phyllis. She dropped out of college in 1939 to marry Sherwood Diller and start a family. But marriage wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Her husband had mental health issues, including agoraphobia, and couldn't hold down a job. "He was agoraphobic and couldn't work," Perry explains. This left the family struggling financially. At one point, they were so broke that they had to walk the streets with their belongings in brown paper bags. But Phyllis wasn't about to let hardship keep her down.

She went to work, writing copy for a radio station and a department store. People loved her humor, and that's when the idea of stand-up comedy came to her. "I'd been doing comedy all my life without realizing it," Phyllis once said. "All I had to do was polish my act." And that's exactly what she did. She took her life experiences and turned them into comedy gold.

Phyllis Diller — Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock

Breaking Barriers as a Female Comedian

At 37 years old, Phyllis made her debut at the Purple Onion in San Francisco. But being one of the first female stand-up comedians wasn't easy. "It was brutal," says Buskin. "She faced a lot of hostility. People would shout, 'Go home to your husband and kids!' But Phyllis? She wasn't stopping for anything. She had a mission, and she was going to succeed." And succeed she did.

Her act revolved around self-deprecating jokes about her appearance and her fictional husband, "Fang." "She talked about her life, and she connected with a lot of women," Buskin explains. "She was the woman next door." Her career wasn't an overnight success—it was a slow build. But she got a big break when Bob Hope, one of her idols, saw her perform and took her under his wing. "He was the biggest mentor in her life," Perry says. "He was the sweetest guy."

A Life Full of Love and Laughter

Once Phyllis was earning enough to support herself and her kids, she divorced Sherwood in 1965. "He got the house, the car, and an apartment building," she said. "But he deserved it, poor thing. He just couldn't make a living." Her second marriage also ended in divorce, but "Fang" remained a staple in her act. "Don't confuse him with my real husbands," she joked. "They're temporary."

When Phyllis passed away at 95 in 2012, many of the female comedians she influenced paid tribute to her. "She had such a good, full, happy life," said Joan Rivers, a protégé and friend. "She had a great time to the very end."