Joe Hecht, entrepreneur, actor and husband of actress and “Honeymooners” star Jane Kean, has died. He was 85.
Hecht, a championship tennis player, skier and swimmer, still active in his 80s, suffered a stroke at his home in Paradise Cove on Saturday.
Born in Philadelphia, Hecht was a self-made man who graduated with honors from Temple University, where he distinguished himself as a gifted athlete. After serving in the Armed Forces, Hecht embarked on a series of highly successful careers as stockbroker, restaurateur and actor.
He also indulged his lifelong passion for travel, touring extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Hecht had taken the position of managing director of the Racquet Club in Miami Beach when he met Jane Kean who was starring as “Trixie,” opposite Art Carney, in “The Honeymooners,” filmed on location there.
After a whirlwind courtship, they married, a union that would last 35 years. Hecht became Kean’s manager and often appeared with her on stage and television.
Hecht’s longtime friend, Dick Van Patten, said of him, “Joe enjoyed life more than any person I ever knew.”
“He was a friend to all,” his son, Joe Hecht Jr. said. “He never met a stranger.”
Hecht is survived by his wife, Jane, his three sons, Joe Jr., Randy Hecht, and Lindsay Nixon, his daughter-in-law, Sandy Hecht, and his grandson, Jesse Hecht.
A memorial service is pending.