Phyllis Diller

Roseanne Barr, who tonight debuts as a judge on NBC's Last Comic Standing, would rather be at home on her Hawaii macadamia nut farm, eating food from her garden and seeing her grandkids off to school.

This is a guest post by California-based writer Betsy Towner is a regular contributor to AARP Bulletin.

Phyllis Diller was 37 when she did her first comedy gig. But despite her late start, when Diller died on Aug. 20 at age 95, she'd nevertheless enjoyed one of the longest uninterrupted careers in show biz history.