George Miller

George Miller, a stand-up comedian who appeared on David Letterman ' s late-night shows more than any other comic, has died. He was 61.

Mr. Miller, who had suffered from leukemia for years, died Wednesday at UCLA Medical Center of complications from a blood clot in his brain.

Mr. Miller appeared on NBC ' s " Late Night With David Letterman " and CBS ' " Late Show With David Letterman " 56 times in two decades.

" George was my oldest friend and one of the funniest people I ever knew, " Letterman said in a statement. " We are all very sad that he is gone. "

Mr. Miller and Letterman met in Los Angeles in the early 1970s when both were emerging comics.

Mr. Miller " was just content to be a stand-up comedian, " said Tom Dreesen, a fellow comic from that era. " He truly wanted to write funny things and say funny things. "

The goal for comics was to get a spot on NBC ' s " The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, " and Mr. Miller appeared many times on it.

He also worked the road the way most comics do.

" I was once fired as opening act for Seals and Crofts because I got loaded and introduced them as Arts and Crafts, " one of Mr. Miller ' s jokes went.

He was born George Wade Dornberger in Seattle and was raised by his mother, Helen, said his uncle, Paul Rhymes.

Mr. Miller came to Los Angeles in the late 1960s and performed in clubs in Santa Monica and Pasadena before getting gigs at the Comedy Store in Hollywood. After a 1979 labor dispute, he moved on to the Improv on Melrose Avenue and the Laugh Factory on Sunset Boulevard, where he continued to perform regularly.

Before his death, he had been living in a Los Angeles apartment and in his childhood home in Seattle.

Mr. Miller last appeared on Letterman ' s show Sept. 4.