Died – Dying – Obituary
Gallagher dies at 76; comic shot to fame with watermelon-smashing routine
Comic Gallagher, finest recognized for his watermelon-smashing comedy routine and lots of fashionable specials within the Eighties, died Friday morning, in accordance his supervisor Craig Marquardo. He was 76.
In keeping with a press release offered to CNN by Marquardo, the comic died “after a brief well being battle” and “handed away surrounded by his household in Palm Springs, California.”
Gallagher, born Leo Gallagher, turned a family identify within the early ’80s with a comedy particular titled “An Uncensored Night,” the primary comedy stand-up particular ever to air on cable tv, in response to an obituary shared by Marquardo.
Gallagher’s most well-known bit concerned a hand-made sledgehammer he known as the “Sledge-O-Matic,” which he would use to smash meals on stage, spraying the viewers.
“That was one thing else he appreciated to assert credit score for, which was bodily participating the viewers in that method,” the obituary mentioned.
Gallagher, a Fort Bragg, North Carolina native, earned a chemical engineering diploma from the College of South Florida earlier than transferring to Los Angeles and creating his comedy act at legendary venue The Comedy Retailer, positioned on the Sundown Strip, in response to his biography on the web site for Selak Leisure, a reserving company.
Individuals started to take discover in 1975 when he carried out his model of prop comedy on Johnny Carson’s famed “The Tonight Present.”
TV was good to him and in 1978, he made an look on “The Mike Douglas Present” and the subsequent 12 months appeared on “The Merv Griffin Present.”
However it was his Showtime Eighties comedy specials that firmly cemented him in popular culture, and he would go on to do greater than a dozen for the community over 27 years.
He was additionally an early staple of MTV and Comedy Central.
“Whereas his counterparts went on to do sitcoms, host speak exhibits and star in films, Gallagher stayed on the street touring America for many years,” the obituary mentioned. “He was fairly certain he held a report for probably the most rise up dates, by attrition alone.”
Gallagher toured steadily till the COVID-19 pandemic hit and used the break to spend time along with his son, Barnaby, and daughter Aimee, the latter of whom had appeared with him on his specials when she was a baby.
The elder Gallagher turned more and more controversial lately, chastised for racist and homophobic remarks. Gallagher even minimize quick an interview in 2011 with Marc Maron after the WTF podcast host confronted him about his statements.
“I’m the issue?!” Gallagher mentioned at one level. “Do you assume once I’m useless, gays will lastly have a possibility in America? Have I actually been holding them down?”
In 2003, Gallagher was amongst greater than 100 candidates operating within the recall election for California governor, gained by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Over the previous decade, Gallagher appeared in a Geico business and within the film “The E-book Of Daniel.”
Related Press contributed to this story.
Gallagher dies at 76; comic shot to fame with watermelon-smashing routine
