Ventriloquist Rickie Layne, who frequently appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” with his dummy Velvel, has died in California at age 81. The former Borscht Belt comic and longtime resident of Northridge, Calif., died at Tarzana Hospital Feb. 11 of heart failure, the Los Angeles Times reported. Nat King Cole discovered Layne and Velvel — the opening act for his wife, Maria at Ciro’s along the Sunset Strip in 1955 — and cut an unusual deal with Ed Sullivan: Put him on his Sunday night variety show and if he bombed, Cole would appear, himself, at no charge, the Times said. Layne’s Sullivan debut was Jan. 1, 1956. He went on to appear on the popular variety show several dozen times, the newspaper said. Layne went on to play the Copacabana in New York, the Chez Paree in Chicago, the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles and Caesars Palace, the Flamingo and the Desert Inn in Las Vegas. Among his film credits was Disney’s “The Shaggy D.A.” He also appeared on TV’s “Night Court” in 1986. He received the International Ventriloquist Association’s Askins Award for lifetime achievement in 2002. His wife of 56 years died in 2002. He is survived by three daughters and four granddaughters. © Copyright 2006 by United Press International

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