Don Rickles.
(Image credit: Mark Mainz/Getty Images for AFI)

Legendary insult comedian Don Rickles died of kidney failure Thursday morning at his home in Los Angeles, his publicist has confirmed. He was 90 years old.

Rickles, also an actor and best-selling author, was known for his bitingly funny insults lobbed at everyone from A-list celebrities to anonymous audience members. His caustic humor earned him the nicknames "The Merchant of Venom" and "The King of Zing." His two signature phrases, "dummy" and "hockey puck," were tossed out often during his frequent appearances at nightclubs and on late-night talk shows.

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