Irwin Corey, the king of comedic confusion, dies at 102

FILE - This April 24, 2004 file photo shows comedian Irwin Corey at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York. Corey, the wild-haired comedian and actor who was known for his nonsensical style and who billed himself as “The World’s Foremost Authority,” died Monday, Feb. 6, 2017, at his home in Manhattan. He was 102. (AP Photo/Jim Cooper, File) (The Associated Press)

NEW YORK – Irwin Corey, the wild-haired comedian and actor known for his nonsensical style and who billed himself as "The World's Foremost Authority," has died. He was 102.

According to his son, Richard, the elder Corey died Monday at his home in Manhattan.

Corey's dizzying mix of mock-intellectual circumlocutions, earnest political tirades and slapstick one-liners made Corey the king of comedic confusion.

Corey became a staple on television talk shows and in comedy clubs, and his film career included working with Jackie Gleason and Woody Allen.