“Seinfeld” actor Hiram Kasten dies at the age of 71

New York comedian Hiram Kasten has died at the age of 71, Fox News Digital confirmed.

Kasten’s wife, Diana Kisiel Kastenbaum, first announced her husband’s death on Facebook on Sunday. In the post, Diana wrote that her husband’s health had deteriorated in 2017 as he battled prostate cancer and Crohn’s disease.

“He leaves behind his beloved wife, Diana Kisiel Kastenbaum of Batavia, New York, who loved and tenderly cared for him until the end,” the post said.

“Seinfeld” star Hiram Kasten has died at the age of 71. (Getty Images)

Hiram Kasten as Michael in “Seinfeld”. (Hiram Kasten/YouTube/NBC)

Diana wrote that they married in June 1986 and “he died in her arms on June 16, 2024, just hours after their 38th wedding anniversary.”

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The funeral will be held in Forest Hills, New York.

Kastenbaum told Fox News Digital that a public memorial service will be held in Los Angeles this summer, but the date has not yet been set.

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The social media post said that Kasten had only made his friends aware of the severity of his illness in the last six months.

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Hiram’s “great comedy and artist community stood by him” and “some made trips to Batavia to visit him. Late-night Zoom meetings with friends on both coasts followed, lasting into the early hours of the morning.”

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Diana noted that it “extended his life by at least two more months because he could now laugh with his peers.”

Hiram Kasten and Jerry Seinfeld were friends for 45 years before his death. (Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images)

Kasten starred as Michael on Seinfeld from 1993 to 1994. Kasten rose to fame after frequently appearing at the Comic Strip in New York, a venue where his friend Jerry Seinfeld once performed. During his career, he also performed stand-up at Improv, Comedy Cellar, Carolines on Broadway, and Dangerfield’s.

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According to Diana’s post, “Seinfeld passed Hiram up at his first audition and became a regular.” Jerry and Hiram have a “friendship that has lasted 45 years.”

Hiram leaves behind his wife and daughter Millicent Jade.