Richard Jeni, one of the funniest standups in the comedy world, was rushed to the hospital Saturday night after his girlfriend called police to say her boyfriend had shot himself. He died at a hospital in Hollywood.He was one of those comics that all other comics went into the room to watch when he was on stage. There is no greater compliment a standup can pay another one than to do that. He was a great performer and a terrific writer and just a really funny guy.
I heard that his mother arrived in LA today to make preparations to take him back to Brooklyn. What a sad time for a parent. It is a sad time for all of us in the comedy community. He is not the first suicide in our business, we have lost many a great comic mind over the years. I've always thought it ironic that in a business where we describe ourselves as 'dying' in front of an audience or 'killing' at a certain club that so many of us may keep going with such a sad undercurrent running like faulty electricity through our lives.
I only knew him as Rich, he became Richard when he moved to Hollywood so, R.I.P. Rich.
End of chat. Literally.
Oh that is so sad, he must have been really suffering inside. My thoughts are with you.
ReplyDeleteI always look for a woman who has a tattoo. I see a woman with a tattoo, and I’m thinking, okay, here’s a gal who’s capable of making a decision she’ll regret in the future. -- Richard Jeni
ReplyDelete"I think that's how Chicago got started. A bunch of people in New York said, 'Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west."
ReplyDeleteRichard Jeni
"What's sad is that 50% of marriages in this country end in divorce. the other half end in death. You could be one of the luky ones".
ReplyDeleteRichard Jeni
I saw old footage of him on the View today. He was talking about how his girlfriend asked if he wanted to see "The Vagina Monologues" with her. He told her, "Yes I do! I love ventriloquism. Bring it on!"
ReplyDeleteHe was one of my favorites, too. I recall the sitcom he did on UPN ten or so years ago. I was going through a divorce, and laughs were difficult to come by at the time. In spite of that, Richard Jeni always made me laugh. Your post was a fitting tribute.
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