Gallagher, a legendary comedian known for breaking watermelons as part of his act, has passed away at the age of 76. Let’s see more about him in this article.
How Did Gallagher Die?
According to his former manager Craig Marquardo, who confirmed Gallagher’s death to Variety on Friday, the creative prop comedian famed for smashing watermelons as part of his act passed away from organ failure. He was 76.
Gallagher Cause Of Death
According to TMZ, Gallagher passed away early on Friday morning in the Palm Springs region while receiving hospice care. According to his management, he suffered severe organ failure and died. He had been ailing for some time and had had several heart attacks over the years.
What Did Craig Marquardo Say?
According to his former manager Craig Marquardo, who confirmed Gallagher’s death to Variety on Friday, the creative prop comedian famed for smashing watermelons as part of his act passed away from organ failure. He was 76.
After having several heart attacks recently, he was receiving hospice care in California.
Who Was Gallagher?
The stand-up comedian with the same name, who was born Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr., shot to fame in 1980 with “An Uncensored Evening,” the first stand-up comedy special to debut on Showtime. Later, he would produce several well-liked shows for HBO in addition to another 12 hour-long specials for the network.
As part of his distinctive act, he would shatter food onstage with a homemade sledgehammer he called the “Sledge-O-Matic” and spray it upon the audience. The watermelon was his usual target with the hammer. He also became well-known for his razor-sharp observational humour and clever wordplay.
His Professional Life
While his contemporaries went on to host talk shows, play roles in sitcoms, or act in motion pictures, Gallagher stayed on the road in America for almost 40 years, travelling continuously up to the COVID-19 outbreak and performing more than 3,500 live gigs over the course of his career. In his latter years, Gallagher starred in “The Book of Daniel,” his debut motion picture, and was the voice of a protracted Geico commercial. He started a farewell tour in 2019 called the “Last Smash.”
Early 1990’s
Early in the 1990s, Gallagher offered his brother, Ron Gallagher, permission to perform live using the “Sledge-O-Matic” act, provided that all publicity materials made it obvious that Ron, and not Leo, was the performer. After a while, Ron began promoting his performance under the names Gallagher Too or Gallagher Two, and occasionally it wasn’t made apparent that he wasn’t the original Gallagher. Ron proceeded to perform the “Sledge-O-Matic” sketch despite Leo’s desire for him to stop. In 2000, Leo filed a lawsuit against his brother for trademark infringement and fraudulent advertising, and the court issued an injunction barring Ron from impersonating Leo or purposefully looking like him.
Also, early in the 1990s, Robin Vann, a fan who had been hurt at one of his concerts, filed a lawsuit against him, drawing Gallagher into yet another legal dispute. Vann requested $100,000 in compensation, claiming that he crashed a prop into her, causing brain injuries that required her to miss six months of work. Once more, the court ruled with Gallagher.
Critics Faced By Gallagher
Later in his career, He was accused of having a racist and homophobic act, and several venues even called off his performances. Gallagher and Marc Maron argued on a now-famous episode of his “WTF” podcast about the idea that his act is offensive. He intensifies his harsh language on the podcast before storming out of the interview.
While he had his critics, Marquardo said of his former client in a statement made available to Variety that “he was an obvious talent and an American success story.”
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