Legendary comedian Don Rickles has died at his home at the age of 90, according to his publicist.

Rickles rose to fame in the 1960s for his rapid-fire wit and the way he hurled insults at Hollywood royalty and politicians. More recently, he found a new generation of fans thanks to his role as Mr Potato Head in the Toy Story films.

The 90-year-old helped insult comedy become mainstream, and once said he turned to insulting people because he was bad at telling traditional jokes. Frank Sinatra was a big fan and ended up becoming one of his close friends.

Rickles was renowned for his no-holds-barred approach, earning him the nickname 'the Merchant of Venom'. He came under fire in 2012 for a joke in which he called former president Barack Obama a janitor.