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Gallagher – the long-haired comedian who left a decades-long career with laughter, anger and broken watermelons – has died at the age of 76.
Craig Marquardo, who called himself Gallagher’s “longtime former manager” in a statement, said he died Friday at his home in Palm Springs, Calif., after a brief illness. .
Gallagher has suffered multiple heart attacks over the years, including one before a scheduled 2012 show in Texas.
Wearing a beret on his head and some simple props, from a can of oil to a bullwhip, born in the 1970s and 80s, Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr built a national following, appearing alongside Johnny Carson in Tonight’s show and starring in numerous Showtime specials.
“Ladies and gentlemen. I’m not here tonight to make you laugh. I’m here to sell you something, and I want you to pay special attention,” he’ll do his best rapid-fire imitation of a late-night TV salesman. shouted.
“The amazing Master Tool Corporation, a subsidiary of Fly-By-Night Industries, commissioned by whom? Me. Show you. The most convenient and trendy kitchen tool you’ve ever seen.”
He then took the sledgehammer and threw himself into apples, grapes, lettuce and other produce — most famously, the inevitable watermelon, and the audience in front was swept away by the scraps of food.
Gallagher, a native of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, started as a road manager for comedian/musician Jim Stafford in 1960 and soon began performing himself, honing himself in comedy shops and other clubs ‘s performance.
He’s not the only funny guy in the family: His younger brother Ron became a comedian, got Leo’s initial blessing, and looked and acted like his better-known siblings, so much so that some viewers weren’t sure they were Who to see.
Leo Gallagher eventually obtained a court injunction preventing his brother from using his routine.
The older Gallagher has become increasingly controversial in recent years, condemned for racist and homophobic remarks.
Gallagher even cut short his interview with Mark Malone in 2011 after the host of the WTF podcast questioned his remarks.
Gallagher was one of more than 100 candidates running for California’s gubernatorial recall election in 2003, which Arnold Schwarzenegger won.
Over the past decade, Gallagher has appeared in Geico commercials and the film The Book of Daniel.
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