NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 19: Comedian Tom Dreesen performs on day five of the NOHO Comedy Festival at Ha Ha Cafe Comedy Club on May 19, 2018 in North Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images)Getty ImagesStand-up comedy great Tom Dreesen, who was an longtime opening act for Frank Sinatra and made hundreds of television appearances, has died.Dreesen died on Tuesday at age 86. His family said in a statement (via People), “For more than five decades, Tom Dreesen brought laughter, heart, and humanity to audiences across America. A proud native of Harvey, Illinois, Tom built a remarkable career through perseverance, talent.”Dreesen was an opening act for Sinatra for 14 years, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The comedian admitted that sometimes his commitment to Sinatra meant passing up other opportunities. ForbesDaveigh Chase, ‘The Ring’ And ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Star, Dies At 35By Tim Lammers“Every time networks came to me and said, ‘Do you want to do a series? What about a talk show?' it would mean I'd have to stop touring with Frank. How could I do that?” Dreesen told the Chicago Tribune in 2006.Among Dreesen’s hundreds of appearances on television, there were dozens of turns on such TV staples as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and David Letterman’s late-night shows, according to THR. Many of Dreesen’s appearances came as part of the Tim and Tom comedy team, where he partnered with WKRP in Cincinnati star Tim Reid.MORE FOR YOUBorn Sept. 11, 1939, in Harvey, Ill., Dreesen served in the U.S. Navy from 1956 to 1960, according to People. Dreesen remained committed to military causes through his longtime association with actor Gary Sinise, who founded the Gary Sinise Foundation to help out military veterans, first responders and their families.ForbesWalter Parazaider, Founding Member Of Chicago, Dies At 81By Tim Lammers“This morning America lost one of our great comedians and patriots, and I lost a dear friend. Tom Dreesen died at 86 years old,” Sinise wrote on his X account. "He was a special person, a U.S. Navy veteran with a tremendously charitable heart.