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Where are the candidates for early death comedians going to come from?

 

Thinking back there were plenty who had heart attacks (Eric Morecombe, Dustin Gee), drank themsleves to death (Sid James) or killed themselves (Tony Hancock).

 

I can't see any of the current crop fitting in to these, with the possible exception of Peter Kay.

 

What has changed?

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Where are the candidates for early death comedians going to come from?

 

Thinking back there were plenty who had heart attacks (Eric Morecombe, Dustin Gee), drank themsleves to death (Sid James) or killed themselves (Tony Hancock).

 

I can't see any of the current crop fitting in to these, with the possible exception of Peter Kay.

 

What has changed?

Age.

If todays "comedians" were any younger, they would be doing stand up at the entrance to their mothers vaginas as they were being born.

Much of it is political correctness, unless you are Frankie Boyle, and our society has changed too.

Comedy has monumentally shifted from pure social observation to a greater reliance on Political satire, IMHO.

Precious few do stand up as we knew it, instead they run around the floor telling stories.

Strangely, for me, the funniest of the current crop are people like Tim Vine, Milton Jones and that Canadian fella Stewart Francis. I suppose they are more like "old school" but in a modern context, or summat.

Most of the older geezers end up doing summer seasons in Blackpool or Yarmouth infront of dentally challenged geriatrics.

Just think, when the likes of Jim Bowen, Stan Boardman, Mick Miller and Jimmy Jones pop their clogs a whole generation or two will ask " Who the fuck were they?"

We are getting old. :wheelchair:

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Where are the candidates for early death comedians going to come from?

 

Thinking back there were plenty who had heart attacks (Eric Morecombe, Dustin Gee), drank themsleves to death (Sid James) or killed themselves (Tony Hancock).

 

I can't see any of the current crop fitting in to these, with the possible exception of Peter Kay.

 

What has changed?

 

American comedians can't stop dying young, though. The great Patrice O'Neal died at 41 of diabetes, Mike Di Stefano died of AIDS at 44 and Greg Giraldo OD'd at 45. That's three comics with regular TV work all carking before 45 in the past 18 months. Plus nobody really believes that Katt Williams is going to make 40, do they?

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Where are the candidates for early death comedians going to come from?

 

Thinking back there were plenty who had heart attacks (Eric Morecombe, Dustin Gee), drank themsleves to death (Sid James) or killed themselves (Tony Hancock).

 

I can't see any of the current crop fitting in to these, with the possible exception of Peter Kay.

 

What has changed?

 

American comedians can't stop dying young, though. The great Patrice O'Neal died at 41 of diabetes, Mike Di Stefano died of AIDS at 44 and Greg Giraldo OD'd at 45. That's three comics with regular TV work all carking before 45 in the past 18 months. Plus nobody really believes that Katt Williams is going to make 40, do they?

If I had actually heard of her, who knows?

I dont actually know who any of the others were either.

I need to get out more, perhaps.

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The only two I can remember dying young were Bill Hicks and Sam Kinnison...

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John Belushi was 33.

 

Closer to home, the only recent premature death that readily sprung to mind was Linda Smith., though I'm sure there must be more.

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Stand up comic Ray Combs killed himself at 40 although he was mostly known for hosting Family Feud

 

Drake Sather probably not well known but co-wrote the film Zoolander and wrote for the tv shows Saturday Night Live and News Radio killed himself at 44

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GIlda Radner is another that comes to mind, of ovarian cancer/curse of Gene Wilder at 42.

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Phil Hartman was only 49 when his wife decided to perform a cocaine-fuelled autopsy on him.

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Of course going further back, Tony Hancock done himself in at 44 and two years before Arthur Haynes, whose naturalised delivery would not look out of place today, died aged 52...

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John Belushi was 33.

 

Closer to home, the only recent premature death that readily sprung to mind was Linda Smith., though I'm sure there must be more.

 

I had forgotten about Linda Smith, I was very upset about that at the time.

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Where are the candidates for early death comedians going to come from?

 

Thinking back there were plenty who had heart attacks (Eric Morecombe, Dustin Gee), drank themsleves to death (Sid James) or killed themselves (Tony Hancock).

 

I can't see any of the current crop fitting in to these, with the possible exception of Peter Kay.

 

What has changed?

Age.

If todays "comedians" were any younger, they would be doing stand up at the entrance to their mothers vaginas as they were being born.

Much of it is political correctness, unless you are Frankie Boyle, and our society has changed too.

Comedy has monumentally shifted from pure social observation to a greater reliance on Political satire, IMHO.

Precious few do stand up as we knew it, instead they run around the floor telling stories.

Strangely, for me, the funniest of the current crop are people like Tim Vine, Milton Jones and that Canadian fella Stewart Francis. I suppose they are more like "old school" but in a modern context, or summat.

Most of the older geezers end up doing summer seasons in Blackpool or Yarmouth infront of dentally challenged geriatrics.

Just think, when the likes of Jim Bowen, Stan Boardman, Mick Miller and Jimmy Jones pop their clogs a whole generation or two will ask " Who the fuck were they?"

We are getting old. :wheelchair:

 

I was surprised to see that Mick Miller is only 62.

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Comedian Norman Collier has died http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-arts-21798955

 

You were right first time. He has definitely died!

 

And you posted it in the correct thread too.

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Comedian Norman Collier has died http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-arts-21798955

 

You were right first time. He has definitely died!

 

And you posted it in the correct thread too.

 

Will wonders never cease?!

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Comedian Norman Collier has died http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-arts-21798955

 

You were right first time. He has definitely died!

 

And you posted it in the correct thread too.

 

I would respectfully disagree. :P

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Comedian Norman Collier has died http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-arts-21798955

 

You were right first time. He has definitely died!

 

And you posted it in the correct thread too.

 

I would respectfully disagree. :P

 

hmmm I'd say Collier was a comic. Whether he was funny, is definitely open to debate.

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