A Regina man who got his 15-minutes of fame thanks to an unusual name, Dick Assman, has died.

The Late Show with David Letterman first heard of Assman in 1995 during a segment called dumb ads with a newspaper advertisement which included Assman’s name. The bits on the show continued for a few months, with Assman eventually travelling to New York to be on the show.

An obituary published on Friday said Assman passed away peacefully on Monday. He was born in Neudorf in 1934 and worked at various service stations as a manager, mechanic, and gas attendant throughout his life.

Last year before Letterman retired, News Talk Radio caught up with Assman to talk about his short-lived fame. He said even after 20 years people still come up and talk to him about it.Assman to talk about his short-lived fame. He said even after 20 years people still come up and talk to him about it.

“They recognize me right away. Everybody tells me I haven’t really changed in 20 years. There’s still quite a few (who) come get autographs and take pictures with me,” he laughed.

Assman said his name was actually pronounced OSS-mun, but he always went along with the joke.

“I thought if they wanted to have fun with it go ahead.”

The funeral will be held on Monday, but the family is declining flowers – the obituary said donations can instead be made in his name to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan.