Rodney Dangerfield Mural In New York City Deemed 'Unflattering' By Widow

Rodney Dangerfield’s widow has called a mural painted of her late husband "unflattering." A letter from Joan Dangerfield’s lawyer deemed the mural “less-than-flattering,” and said the famed comedian and actor deserved “nothing but the highest respect,” the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

The mural was painted on a public wall in Queens, the New York borough the comedian grew up in. Francesca Robicci painted the portrait last year and referred to a photograph provided by Joan Dangerfield. The mural was commissioned by a community group and Mrs. Dangerfield had donated a sum of $1,000 to the artistic commemoration.

Rodney Dangerfield, who appeared in films, performed stand-up and made regular television appearances, died at 82 in 2004. The mural also bears his infamous catchphrase “I don’t get no respect!”

Some residents thought the portrait could have been more flattering, but largely considered the portrait to be a nice gesture.

“I would not want to see that mural removed just because it’s not the most flattering, Flynn McLean told the AP. McLean also added that the comedian, who appeared in “Caddyshack,” “wasn’t the best-looking guy in the world.”

Robicci, who painted the mural for free, was upset by the news and said she would fly back from Italy to revise the portrait.

Joan Dangerfield had apparently approved a sample image of the work but had not approved the final mural image produced by the artist, according to the New York Post.

“The situation here is that the artist, she left the country before making the revisions that were necessary,” Joan Dangerfield told the Post. “I don’t want to embarrass the artist,” she said. “I don’t want to embarrass her, hurt her, this is not a public stance against her.”

Robicci seemed surprised by the widow’s response. “I was not expecting all this thing that came out as a gift,” she said via CBS News.

The mural is painted on a brick wall in Kew Gardens, Queens.