David Letterman's mother, Dorothy Mengering, died Tuesday (April 11) at the age of 95. Letterman's publicist, Tom Keaney, confirmed the news for the Associated Press.
Mengering became an unlikely star after becoming a recurring guest on The Late Show, hosted by her son.
She first appeared on camera for The Late Show during the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer — endearing audiences by offering hot chocolate to Nancy Kerrigan and asking Hillary Clinton if she could help Letterman out with a few of his speeding tickets.
She subsequently served as a correspondent for the CBS show during the 1998 Olympics in Nagano and the 2002 games in Salt Lake City.
Mengering also frequently appeared on the show via satellite from her home kitchen in Carmel, IN, starring in a repeat feature segment called "Guess Mom's Pies" — during which Letterman had to guess which of his holiday favourites Mengering had prepared for Thanksgiving. The bit spawned recurring Late Show appearances around Thanksgiving and Mother's Day each year.
Fellow late-night TV host Stephen Colbert, who replaced Letterman as the Late Show host after he retired, shared his condolences for Mengering and her family on Twitter.
Watch some footage of Mengering's appearances on The Late Show down below.
Mengering became an unlikely star after becoming a recurring guest on The Late Show, hosted by her son.
She first appeared on camera for The Late Show during the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer — endearing audiences by offering hot chocolate to Nancy Kerrigan and asking Hillary Clinton if she could help Letterman out with a few of his speeding tickets.
She subsequently served as a correspondent for the CBS show during the 1998 Olympics in Nagano and the 2002 games in Salt Lake City.
Mengering also frequently appeared on the show via satellite from her home kitchen in Carmel, IN, starring in a repeat feature segment called "Guess Mom's Pies" — during which Letterman had to guess which of his holiday favourites Mengering had prepared for Thanksgiving. The bit spawned recurring Late Show appearances around Thanksgiving and Mother's Day each year.
Fellow late-night TV host Stephen Colbert, who replaced Letterman as the Late Show host after he retired, shared his condolences for Mengering and her family on Twitter.
I'm so sorry to hear of Dorothy Mengering's death, and so grateful that Dave shared her with us.
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) April 12, 2017
Watch some footage of Mengering's appearances on The Late Show down below.