COMEDIAN Leo Anthony Gallagher, also known as Gallagher, has died at the age of 76, according to his manager. Let’s see how did comedian Gallagher die and Leo Anthony Gallagher Cause of death in detail.
How did Leo Anthony Gallagher die?
TMZ was the first to announce that Gallagher passed away early on Friday morning in the Palm Springs area while getting hospice care. According to TMZ, he had a long history of illness and had experienced multiple heart attacks before he passed away from acute organ failure. Gallagher cause of death was organ failure.
Gallager gained notoriety for breaking watermelons as part of his act as well as for his observational and prop comedy catchphrases. He has several well-liked HBO specials in addition to 13 one-hour comedic specials for Showtime.
Gallagher cause of death:
Comic Gallagher has passed away at the age of 76. During his performance, Gallagher, a prop comedian best known for breaking watermelons. Gallagher cause of death was organ failure.
According to TMZ, Gallagher passed away early on Friday morning in the Palm Springs region while receiving hospice care.
According to his management, Gallagher suffered severe organ failure and died. He had been ailing for some time and had had several heart attacks over the years.
The spokesperson said, “Gallagher stayed on the road touring America for decades. He was pretty sure he held a record for the most stand-up dates, by attrition alone,” adding, “While Gallagher had his detractors, he was an undeniable talent and an American success story.”
After graduating from college, Gallagher began performing stand-up comedy. In 1975, he made his television debut on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show,” where he displayed his prop humor and immediately rose to fame.
Who is comedian Gallagher?
Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr., better known by his stage name Gallagher, was an American comedian who specialized in observational and prop comedy as well as smashing watermelons as part of his performance. He has 13 one-hour comedy specials for Showtime and several well-liked HBO specials.
Gallagher was born on July 24, 1946, to an Irish and Croatian family in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He lived in Lorain, Ohio, up to the age of nine. However, due to his asthma, the family had to relocate to South Tampa, Florida, where he attended H.B. Plant High School. He then earned a chemical engineering degree from the University of South Florida, graduating in 1970. English literature was his minor subject.
On March 10, 2011, while performing in Rochester, Minnesota, Gallagher fell to the ground while gripping his chest. He had a small heart attack, which was discovered when he was taken to Saint Mary’s Hospital.
A performance in Lewisville, Texas, was scheduled for March 14, 2012, one year later, right before Gallagher started having severe chest symptoms. According to Gallagher’s manager, the comedian had a “mild to serious” heart attack and was put into a medically induced coma as specialists tried to figure out what was wrong with his heart. On March 18, 2012, physicians gradually took him out of the coma after replacing two coronary stents. He instantly recovered and resumed his family conversations. Gallagher is survived by his daughter, Aimee, and his son, Barnaby.
Gallagher Career
After graduating from college, Gallagher started working as Jim Stafford’s road manager. In 1969, Gallagher and Stafford visited California, where Gallagher decided to become a performer. While frequently visiting The Comic Store and The Ice House, he started refining his own comedy act.
While Johnny Carson was the host, he appeared twice on The Tonight Show despite Carson’s distaste towards prop humor. On December 5, 1975, he made his first appearance on the program to display his prop, “The Tonight Show Home Game,” and he returned on May 9, 1979. Additionally, he made multiple appearances on the show when substitute hosts took the place of Carson.
During the 1980s, Gallagher was one of the most well-known and well-liked comedians in the United States. He produced 14 comedic specials for Showtime which have been re-broadcast numerous times, notably on Comedy Central.
In the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election, Gallagher, who was running for governor (as an independent), received 5,466 votes, placing him 16th out of 135 candidates.
Sledge-O-Matic
Gallagher’s signature act was the “Sledge-O-Matic,” in which he would smash a variety of foods and objects with a heavy mallet, always ending with a watermelon. Though it varies from show to show, Gallagher usually concludes each of his presentations with his unique Sledge-O-Matic routine.
Although it began as a parody of the Veg-O-Matic advertisements, it ended up being what millions of people would remember him for.
Since then, Gallagher has become a pop culture phenomenon, and his performance has been both referenced and mocked throughout the years. His most popular appearances include “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” which was performed by fellow comic Paul F. Tompkins.
The comedian produced 17 specials during his career with the 1980 debut of his first special, “An Uncensored Evening.” He made guest appearances on “Celebrity Big Brother,” “Tosh.0,” “WTF with Marc Maron,” and “Hollywood Squares.”
Gallagher’s Roles:
Gallagher’s Comedy specials include:
- An Uncensored Evening (1980)
- Mad as Hell & Two Real (1981)
- Totally New (1982)
- That’s Stupid (1982)
- Stuck in the Sixties (1983)
- The Maddest (1983)
- Melon Crazy (1984)
- Over Your Head (1984)
- The Bookkeeper (1985)
- The Messiest (1986); contains clips from previous specials Overboard (1987)
- We Need a Hero (1992)
- Smashing Cheeseheads (1997)
- Messin’ Up Texas (1998)
- Sledge-O-Matic.com (2000)
- Tropic of Gallagher (2007)
- Gotham Comedy Live (2014)
Tributes to Gallagher:
David B Freeman tweeted,
RIP Gallagher. Watermelons everywhere feel safer but you were hysterical.
EasyYi Jianlian tweeted,
A little embarrassed to say how much I enjoyed Gallagher’s stand-up as a kid. I randomly bought Gallagher The Maddest (1983) in a bargain bin at a blockbuster as a kid, and it remains near and dear to my heart. I think about several bits from that special pretty regularly. RIP.
Eli tweeted,
As a kid I watched almost every Gallagher special and laughed my ass off. He had some great bits besides the Sledge-o-Matic
Nipsey Scuffle tweeted,
Looks like Gallagher has died as well. Gallagher 1 not Gallagher 2. I think my parents went and saw him in the 80s. I remember thinking he was wild and crazy and hilarious as a kid. Then he went crazy. Well, I guess his brother is New Gallagher.
Jim Gallagher tweeted,
Replying to @RealLyndaCarter
My dad spent three or four years on Pacific islands in the Seabees, so that I wouldn’t have to. He only told me funny stories about it.
Pam Niles tweeted,
There was no comedian who ever made me laugh harder than Gallagher. I saw him perform live several times. He didn’t have to spew obscenities to be funny (not!) either — like so many now do. I loved him!
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