Jonathan Winters (1925–2013)

The most wonderful thing about Jonathan Winters' comedy was his sense of play. He was essentially a big (and brilliant) kid having fun. Several of the obituaries and remembrances of him mention this improvised segment with a stick:

Here's his website and obituaries from The Washington Post (plus a tidbit), The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times one and two. Appreciations include those from Chris Erskine, Robert Lloyd and Ken Levine. I'd particularly recommend Robin Williams' remembrance of him, "A Madman, but Angelic." Winters was one of the comedy greats, and made the world more fun. He will be missed.