Comedian and filmmaker Jerry Lewis died on Sunday morning at his Las Vegas home. The 91-year-old’s publicist Candi Cazau said he had died after a brief illness, though she did not elaborate on what he suffered, CNN reported.

One of the defining figures of American entertainment in the 20th century, Lewis saw success in movies, theatre as well as television. He shot to fame for his comedy-and-music act with singer Dean Martin in the mid-1950s. He began acting in movies such as The Nutty Professor, The Bellboy and The Patsy by the early ‘60s.

During his career, he also pushed for the use of closed-circuit monitors and videotape, which are common practice in moviemaking techniques today. Lewis was also known for helping to raise money for muscular dystrophy patients.