Landesberg, Me, and Michael Krasny, circa 1985

Steve Landesberg, my mother would say, was a mensch.

Not only was he funny and hysterical as "Detective Dietrich" on "Barney Miller", but a laugh-out-loud, real-person stand-up comic whose comedic virtuoso was second to none.

He played the Punchline in SF frequently; it was one of his favorite pit stops in the 80's.

I had a chance to interview him in 1985 for USA Today. We met backstage for about thirty minutes and Landesberg was in his usual form. He didn't resort to shtick--he didn't have to. He was just a funny guy and everyone knew it. That was part of his charm. The Dietrich you saw on Barney Miller was really just in essence, Steve Landesberg, only slightly more comically delicious.

After the interview, I asked him if he'd do me a favor. My friend, Michael Krasny, current host of "Forum" on KQED, and at the time the 10-1AM host on KGO, was a huge fan of Landesberg. He obliged. We drove the short distance over to KGO and allotted an hour to Krasny, calls and all.

I was never a celebrity "sniffer", jocks too. Maybe it was because at one time, I worked in the industry and had seen these very insecure people up close and personal.

Steve Landesberg, who died Sunday at the age of 65, was not that insecure, narcissistic type of guy; the show-bizzy mutt who elicited a ton of laughs without the slightest bit of smugness right up until the day he died. Like my mother said, a real mensch.

It's a shame he left this world much too soon.