Comedian Don Knotts Was On His Death Bed, But His Daughter Had To Leave Room To Laugh

Aug 02, 2018

Don Knotts truly left his mark on the comedic landscape of America. This renowned comic, character actor, and established ventriloquist truly shaped the way we live and laugh today. Daughter Karen Knotts uses her own platform to relive some of her family’s heartfelt memories, such as the time she ran from the room of her father’s deathbed, as she was unable to hold in her laughter.

Despite being best known as clumsy Deputy Barney Fife of the Andy Griffith Show, or the incredible yet blundering Mr. Limpet, Don Knotts had a much more serious upbringing. Jesse Donald Knotts was born in 1924 in rural West Virginia. He, along with his three brothers, came from a family that had been in America for many generations, dating back to the 17th century. Don and his brothers suffered the plague of their father’s alcoholism growing up; somehow, leading Don Knotts to turn to comedy.

Entering adulthood, he enlisted in the United States Army, servicing his country by entertaining his fellow countrymen with comedy and wit. Don Knotts’ daughter, Karen Knotts, describes his comedic timing as incredibly natural, one which he used in the battle against his troubled past. He delighted in his successful career, which spanned over fifty years, yet sought therapy during this time as well.

Daughter Karen believes she was able to help him during trying times of depression, recognizing his often painful circles of thought, difficult memories, and then seeking to help him avoid a downward spiral. She also recognized that no matter the issues plaguing her father, he still had a “completely, insanely natural” funniness that simply came out of him – even when the beloved American actor was on his death bed.

Karen Knotts confessed that, during her father’s illness leading up to his death, she actually had to run out of the room as she was fully unable to hold in the laughter caused by her father’s antics. “I thought to myself, ‘I don’t want to be standing there in front of this man, my dearly beloved father, who’s dying, and laughing,’” states Karen of the time Don kept the family in stitches, despite the pulmonary and respiratory complications that would eventually take his life.

The memory of having to remove herself from the room out of respect when her dying father “did something or said something that caused my stepmother and me to go into fits of laughter” is embodied in Karen’s critically-acclaimed show, paying tribute to the American icon. Following her father’s footsteps, character actress Karen Knotts uses her nostalgic and moving comedy revue, “Tied Up in Knotts!” to relive her memories and those of the American audience.

Karen Knotts’ relayed this specific deathbed story to director Howard storm, who replied, “You should have stayed and laughed out loud! That’s what comedians live for!”

She agreed that she could easily have “just stood there and blasted out laughing,” as Don Knotts had her and his captive audiences doing through his long and well-earned career.

The younger Knotts’ nostalgic show serves as a token to all of us that Don Knotts was not only upbeat in the face of personal challenges, but was able to bring joy to others – a worthy reminder for us all.

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