Many people keep special mementos from their family members after they pass away. However, Rodney Dangerfield’s widow, Joan Dangerfield has kept something of Rodney’s that seems very strange…a bottle of his sweat.

During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Joan sat down and explained why she has kept the sweat of her late husband and comedy legend. “I discovered that Elvis had a handkerchief that was apparently stained with his sweat and it went for a lot of money. So Rodney had a ‘eureka’ moment. He said, ‘I sweat more than anybody! My sweat has to be as good as Elvis’ sweat, right?'” she said.

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Joan doesn’t simply have just one bottle of sweat…she has hundreds. She said she ordered perfume sample size bottles and proceeded to collect his sweat in them. “My job became the ‘sweat collector,'” she said. “I’d take a sponge and spoon and collect his sweat… about an inch at a time. I thought we could water it down but he said, ‘No, that wouldn’t be right.’ In his mind he’s like sweating it out for you on stage, he’s trying got take your troubles away. And he did sweat a lot,” she added.

Today would have been Rodney’s 92nd birthday and is also the day that Joan has unveiled a project that she has been working on for years. Rodney.com will be up-and-running as of today. The site documents Rodney’s comedic ventures, talk show appearances, and photos.

When speaking about her husband and the new website, you could hear the emotion in her voice. “Known chiefly for his no-respect persona, Rodney was the Socrates of our time,” Joan said. “His comedy was the unveiling of the great mysteries behind the common man in the everyday world. He was an idealist, not simply a character but a champion of the downtrodden, and his success was proof of his theory that every man believes himself to be the underdog. Everyone laughed, because everyone identified. Getting no respect was not only his tag line, but his hypothesis.”

Image via Wikimedia Commons