LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Legendary US comedian Rodney Dangerfield, best known for his phrase "I can't get no respect," died in Los Angeles after several weeks in a coma, his publicist announced. He was 82.

Dangerfield died Tuesday at 2020 GMT at the UCLA hospital in Los Angeles, publicist Kevin Sasaki said in a statement.

Born Jacob Cohen in 1921 in the town of Babylon on Long Island, New York, Dangerfield started writing jokes at age 15. At 17 he performed at amateur nights under the name Jack Roy, and at 19, he had two jobs -- as a comic and as a singing waiter.

Rodney worked as a comedian for a decade, but gave it up for more stable income selling aluminum siding.

Dangerfield relaunched his career when he was 40, working New York clubs. He eventually opened his own club, which launched the careers of several noted comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld, Tim Allen, Roseanne, Jim Carrey, Jeff Foxworthy, Bob Saget, Robert Townsend, and others.

Dangerfield starred with his bugged-out eyes in such comedies as "Caddyshack" (1980), "Easy Money" (1983), which he co-wrote, "Back to School" (1986) and "LadyBugs" (1992), as well as director Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" (1994).