Comedians Who Died In Bizarre Ways

Comedians are some of the best entertainers in the world. The wise-crackers, stand-up stars, and slapstick masters have ways of tickling the most serious of funny bones and bringing people from all walks of life together for a good laugh. They can be the life of the party and bring joy to others with witty punchlines and satirical sentiments. As such, it's hard to imagine them not being around in this party we call life and making people belly-laugh like there's no tomorrow. 

But, we have to face the music with these beloved entertainers: They may have well-known names in the industry, but at the end of the day, they're still people who are living their own human experiences. There are plenty of comedians who have lived tragic lives and, yes, some comedians are really weird people. Yet, ultimately, every comedian must face their final curtain call. One might hope that they pass in the most peaceful way possible, but the sad truth is that some comedians have left this world in very odd and unexpected ways. From freak accidents to hidden health issues, these are the comedians who died in bizarre ways. 

The following article mentions addiction and death by suicide.

Tony Knight was a one-of-a-kind comedian and dog trainer. He expertly infused good-natured humor with informative content as "The Dog Listener" to help people strengthen their bonds with their canine companions. Knight's sharp wit and keen insights into man's best friend led him to take his show "Mad Dogs & an Englishman" to several places across the world, including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in Australia in April 2024. No one could have predicted the tragedy that would occur just two months later.

According to French media outlet Le Tarn Libre, Knight was killed in early June when a tree branch fell on him and several others at the Rock & Cars Festival in France. He was 54 years old at the time of his death. Reports say there wasn't any inclement weather during the festival, making the incident all the more unusual and tragic.

A GoFundMe was set up to help Knight's partner cover expenses following his death. His partner's sister, Joanne Allen, wrote a beautiful tribute to the late comedian on the fundraiser's page, saying, "His passion was dogs and he helped people all over the world with his classes both in person, online, on radio and television, ebooks, and more. He was very well respected and admired." Allen also shared that Knight was planning to do more shows and classes throughout the UK and Europe before his untimely death.

Comedian Trevor Moore made a name for himself as a founding member and creative force of The Whitest Kids U' Know, a popular comedy group that had an eponymous sketch series on Fuse and IFC in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The group's content pushed the envelope in true ironic and absurd fashion, drawing in a loyal fan base who couldn't wait for more.

The show wrapped in 2011, but the Whitest Kids U' Know crew stayed busy with several projects and performances. Moore worked several writing, directing, and acting gigs, and he released three seriously satirical comedy albums — "Drunk Texts to Myself" in 2013, "High in Church" in 2015, and "The Story of Our Times" in 2018. He even had his own mini-series in 2019 called "The Trevor Moore Show," which boasts an impressive rating of 9.1/10 stars on IMDb.

Moore was in the middle of creating an animated movie with the Whitest Kids U Know called "Mars" when his life was cut short. He died at his home in Los Angeles on August 7, 2021, at age 41, after reportedly falling from a balcony. It's widely reported that alcohol may have been a contributing factor, and documents from the Los Angeles Medical Examiner coroner list his death as an accident. The surviving members of the Whitest Kids U Know finished "Mars" in honor of Moore, with the film premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2024.

British comedian and magician Tommy Cooper was known for several things: his iconic red fez, his goofy smile, and, of course, his good-natured antics that entertained the masses. Cooper was a slapstick master who made failing hilarious, often bumbling magic tricks on television to make audiences across the pond laugh out loud. Cooper was on a slew of TV shows from the 1950s through the early 1980s, with one of his namesakes, "Cooper," running for multiple episodes in 1975.

While Cooper was all laughs on stage, it was a different story once the curtains closed. He drank heavily, which affected his performances at times and reportedly contributed to a tumultuous personal life. He also had several health conditions and had a heart attack in 1977 but survived.

That heart attack was, unfortunately, a grim precursor to the tragic death of Tommy Cooper. He was performing for a live audience and millions of TV viewers at Her Majesty's Theatre in London on April 15, 1984, when he suddenly collapsed on stage. Those watching reportedly laughed at this, thinking it was just one of his slapstick acts. The situation was anything but funny, though — Cooper had a heart attack while performing his act. He was quickly pulled off stage once everyone backstage realized what was happening, and Cooper died a short time later at age 63.

Kenneth Horne was a British comedian who made waves on the radio waves. Horne worked on several radio shows from the mid-1940s to the late 1960s, most notably on "Beyond Our Ken" and "Round the Horne." His unique delivery, easygoing charm, and ability to connect with the audience made him a stand-out radio entertainer for years.

On the radio, Horne sounded A-OK, but outside of the studio, he was dealing with serious health issues. According to the book "Round Mr Horne: The Life of Kenneth Horne" by Barry Johnston, Horne had a stroke in 1958 but recovered. Horne's family also had a notable history of heart disease, and the comedian was later sidelined by a large heart attack in October 1966. He returned to work in January 1967 and continued to work hard, despite his severe health issues.

Horne's last hurrah came on Valentine's Day 1969, as he hosted the Guild of Television Producers and Directors Awards dinner. He was in the middle of announcing an award when he suddenly stumbled and fell from the podium to the floor. Horne had suffered another large heart attack and died before he made it to the hospital. He was 61 years old.

We can't talk about comedy without mentioning the great Andy Kaufman. Kaufman, often considered one of the best stand-up comedians of all time, was a unique performer who blended comedy with performance art, embracing the absurd and flipping comedy as it was known on its head. He was also a great character comedian, cycling through a misfit cast that, somehow, fit in perfectly.

Kaufman's stand-up act was unlike anything happening in the 1970s. It resonated so well that he landed a guest spot on "Saturday Night Live" in 1975, right when the legendary show started airing. Kaufman made appearances on other shows throughout the late 1970s and is widely known for his role as Latka Gravas on the sitcom "Taxi," which aired between 1978 and 1983. Some of Kaufman's performance tactics were a bit odd and rash, to say the least, but they got attention and cemented his name in the comedy history books.

Sadly, the tragic story of Andy Kaufman took a very serious turn when he found out he had an unusual form of lung cancer in January 1984. What's bizarre about Kaufman's illness is that he did not smoke and took pretty good care of his health. The cancer was aggressive, and Kaufman died from the disease just four months later, on May 16, 1984, at age 35.

Versatile, witty, and a great impressionist, Phil Hartman was a beloved comic whose talent led him to several great career heights. He co-wrote the screenplay for the silly and spectacular movie "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" in 1985, joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 1986, voiced several recurring characters on "The Simpsons" (most notably, Troy McClure) throughout the 1990s, and starred in the TV show "NewsRadio" in 1995. Hartman, who had a knack for playing slime balls you just loved to hate, was adored by fans, critics, and fellow comedians and known as a natural entertainer who could energize a crowd.

By 1998, Hartman was an established name in the business and had a successful professional life. His personal life, on the other hand, was tumultuous. His marriage to his third wife, Brynn Omdahl, was crumbling as they tried to gel their very different personalities while Omdahl dealt with drug and alcohol misuse. Their issues came to a tragic head on May 28, 1998, when, after the couple reportedly argued, Omdahl shot and killed 49-year-old Hartman as he slept in bed.

According to the ABC documentary "The Last Days of Phil Hartman," Omdahl went to her friend Ron Douglas' house after the shooting and told him she killed her husband. The two went back to the Hartman home, and after seeing the horrific crime scene of Hartman's death, Douglas called the police. As police assessed the situation, Omdahl died by suicide in the same room she killed Hartman.

Joan Rivers was one of the most iconic figures in television and comedy. Her razor-sharp wit was bold and unapologetic, and she helped pave the way for women in comedy using her larger-than-life persona and tenacity. Rivers got her big break after appearing on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1965. She became a regular guest on the show and, in the following years, booked spots on hit shows like "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Dick Cavett Show." That foundation led to a successful career in writing, stand-up, acting, producing, and hosting.

It's hard to imagine someone with a larger-than-life personality like Rivers leaving this world, and it's even harder when they pass in bizarre ways. In late August 2014, Rivers went under the knife at a clinic in Manhattan in hopes of fixing her vocal cords. As the operation went on, she stopped breathing and suffered brain damage as a result. She passed away on September 4, 2014, at age 81, after being in a coma. Rivers' family sued the clinic for medical malpractice in 2015, and the case was settled out of court in May 2016.

For some, death comes suddenly and in the most unexpected locations. It goes to show that fate will always have her way — even if you're on vacation. Take comedian Kevin Barnett's death, for instance. Barnett wrote for several TV shows, including "Unhitched," MTV's "Guy Code," "The Eric Andre Show," "Friends of the People," and "Broad City." He was also a co-creator of the show "Rel," which aired on Fox from 2018 to 2019 and had gained a little steam. Things seemed to be going well for the stand-up comic as 2019 rolled around — until things changed in an instant.

In January 2019, Barnett unexpectedly died while vacationing in Tijuana, Mexico, at age 32. He passed from bleeding as a result of pancreatitis. Those in the comedy community praised Barnett's talent and friendly personality on social media following his death, with Comedy Central posting on X (formerly known as Twitter), "Kevin Barnett was an incredible comedian and writer, contributing to Broad City, the stand-up community and beyond. He'll be greatly missed."

Kenny DeForest was a beloved performer in the New York City comedy scene. His great comedic timing and natural storytelling abilities got him gigs on late-night television, including "Late Night with Seth Meyers" in 2017 and "The Late Late Show with James Corden" in 2019. He also released his own stand-up special, "Don't You Know Who I Am?," in August 2023. More and more people were catching on to his wonderful talent, which made his untimely death all the more tragic and bizarre.

DeForest was seriously injured after crashing his e-bike in Brooklyn on December 8, 2023. He had neurological surgery to combat the injuries, but he succumbed to them just five days later, on December 13, at age 37. According to a GoFundMe established for DeForest's family, his last moments were spent with "some of his favorite songs, stories of his childhood, and memories of his extensive positivity and joy for life."

Actor and comedian John Ritter became everyone's favorite everyman in 1977 when he got a starring credit on a little show called "Three's Company," playing the lovable-yet-klutzy Jack Tripper. Ritter's wit and slapstick style made him a hit with audiences, and no one could deny he had great physical comedy chops. "Three's Company" ended in 1984, but Ritter appeared in several films and TV shows throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He went back to the sitcom world in 2002 when he started working on the ABC show "8 Simple Rules," and it was on that show's set where Ritter would spend some of his final hours.

Ritter was in the middle of recording an episode of "8 Simple Rules" on September 11, 2003, when he started vomiting and having chest pains. He was rushed to the hospital at 6 p.m. and received treatment for a heart attack. Ritter wasn't having a heart attack, though: he had a tear in his aorta, a life-threatening condition. He died just before 11 p.m., not even five hours after arriving at the hospital.

In the years following his death, Ritter's family pursued separate legal actions against the hospital where Ritter was treated, as well as two doctors. Amy Yasbeck, Ritter's widow, also started the John Ritter Foundation, which educates the public about aortic dissections and how to spot them.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues or is struggling or in crisis, contact the relevant resources below:

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

• Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org