#Max Rosenthal, Father of ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ Creator Phil Rosenthal, Dies at 95

Max Rosenthal, the father of Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal who became a recurring actor on the hit sitcom, has died at the age of 95.

Phil confirmed the news on Sunday night, writing on Instagram, “Max Rosenthal passed away last night. As heartbroken as we are, we are so grateful that he was our dad, our grandpa, our friend, our favorite and funniest TV star, and the role model for how to live 95 years while being sweet, gentle, kind, compassionate and really really funny. Will have more to say, later. Lost the biggest influence in my life. I know you loved him too and I’m sad for all of us today.”

The late actor had a recurring role on Raymond from 1996-2005, where he played Max, a lodge buddy of Peter Boyle’s Frank Barone. He also made appearances in Phil’s food-based unscripted series, including I’ll Have What Phil’s Having on PBS and Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix, which was recently renewed for a fifth season.

A week prior to his passing, Max’s son Phil had paid tribute to his dad in a heartfelt Father’s Day post. “Richard [Phil’s brother] and I are the luckiest dads in the world. Not just because of our kids, but because we had the world’s best example of how to be a dad in this man right here,” Phil wrote on Instagram. “At 95, he’s still our hero. Sweet, kind, generous, and the funniest guy we ever met. Love you, Dad. Happy Father’s Day.”

Max is survived by his two sons Phil and Richard, his daughter-in-laws Monica and Karen, and grandchildren Lily, Ben, Jack, and Tess.