Gallagher Comedian Dies at 76

Gallagher Comedian , the inventive prop comedian best known for smashing watermelons as part of his act, died Friday of organ failure, according to his former manager Craig Marquardo. He was 76.

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BRIEF ABOUT Gallagher Comedian

Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr. (July 24, 1946 – November 11, 2022), better known as Gallagher, was an American comedian known for his observational and prop comedy, as well as smashing watermelons as part of his act. He had several popular HBO specials and 13 Showtime comedy specials.

Gallagher comedian had been in hospice care in California for several years after suffering multiple heart attacks.

Gallagher was born on July 24, 1946, in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to an Irish and Croatian family. He lived in Lorain, Ohio, until the age of nine, when his family relocated to South Tampa, Florida, where he attended H.B. Plant High School. In 1970, he earned a chemical engineering degree from the University of South Florida. He studied English literature as a minor.

Gallagher comedian began working as the road manager for comic/musician Jim Stafford after graduating from college. Stafford and Gallagher went to California in 1969, and Gallagher decided to perform himself. While frequenting The Comedy Store and The Ice House, he began honing his own comedy act.
He appeared twice on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, despite Carson’s dislike of prop comedy. He appeared on the show for the first time on December 5, 1975, when he demonstrated his prop, “The Tonight Show Home Game,” and then again on May 9, 1979. He also appeared on the show several times when guest hosts were filling in for Carson.

Gallagher was a popular and well-known American comedian during the 1980s.

Gallagher Comedian SOURCE: GOOGLE.COM IMAGE

He did fourteen Showtime comedy specials that have been re-broadcast numerous times, most notably on Comedy Central[citation needed].

Gallagher comedian finished 16th out of 135 candidates in the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election (as an independent) with 5,466 votes.

The mononymous comedian, born Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr, rose to prominence in 1980 with “An Uncensored Evening,” the first standup comedy special to air on Showtime. Gallagher went on to write 12 more hour-long specials for the network, as well as several popular HBO shows.

Gallagher’s signature routine involved him smashing food onstage and spraying it on the audience with a handmade sledgehammer he called the “Sledge-O-Matic.” The watermelon was his hammer’s signature victim. Gallagher was also known for his witty wordplay and astute observational comedy.
While his contemporaries went on to host talk shows or star in sitcoms or movies, Gallagher stayed on the road in America for nearly four decades, touring continuously up until the COVID-19 pandemic and performing over 3,500 live shows. Gallagher later starred in a long-running Geico commercial and his first film, “The Book of Daniel.” In 2019, he embarked on the “Last Smash” farewell tour.

Gallagher comedian granted his brother, Ron Gallagher, permission to perform the “Sledge-O-Matic” routine in the early 1990s, on the condition that promotional materials clearly state that Ron, not Leo, was performing. After a few years, Ron began marketing his act as Gallagher Too or Gallagher Two, and it was not always clear that he was not the original Gallagher.

Leo asked Ron to stop doing the “Sledge-O-Matic” routine, but his brother insisted on continuing. In 2000, Leo sued his brother for trademark infringement and false advertising, and the court issued an injunction prohibiting Ron from impersonating Leo or intentionally bearing likeness to him.

In the early 1990s, Gallagher was involved in another lawsuit when a woman named Robin Vann sued him for injuries sustained at his show. Vann sought $100,000 in damages, claiming she suffered head injuries that forced her to miss six months of work after Gallagher smashed a prop that hit her. The court ruled in favour of Gallagher once more.

Later in his career, Gallagher was accused of racism and homophobia in his act, and some venues even cancelled his performances. Marc Maron argued with Gallagher in a now-famous episode of his “WTF” podcast about the perception that his act is derogatory. Gallagher doubles down on his offensive material on the podcast and eventually storms out.

Marquardo said of his former client in a statement to Variety, “While Gallagher had his detractors, he was an undeniable talent and an American success story.”

SUMMERY

Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr. (July 24, 1946 – November 11, 2022), known mononymously as Gallagher, was an American comedian. His trademarks were observational and prop comedy and smashing watermelons as part of his act. Gallagher performed twice on The Tonight Show when Johnny Carson was hosting. Gallagher became famous for his signature bit, the “Sledge-O-Matic,” which involved him smashing watermelons with a sledgehammer. He faced accusations of racism and homophobia in his act. In 2019, he embarked on a farewell tour dubbed “Last Smash”.