Rest in Peace..2007 version

[newb]

One of the brightest and funniest comics to perform on stage, Richard Jeni, an actor and comedian who played to sold-out crowds, had popular HBO specials, and was a regular on the "Tonight Show" died of an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound in an apparent suicide, police said in a statement Sunday.


Police found the 45-year-old comedian alive but mortally injured in a West Hollywood apartment when they responded to a call Saturday morning from Jeni's girlfriend, Los Angeles Police Officer Norma Eisenman said.

Eisenman said the caller told police: "My boyfriend shot himself in the face."

The AP reports Jeni died at a nearby hospital.

Eisenman said suicide had not been officially confirmed and the investigation was continuing.

Jeni regularly toured as a road comic, and had starred in several HBO comedy specials, most recently "A Big Steaming Pile of Me."

Forbes reports that his other HBO special, "Platypus Man," won a Cable ACE award for best standup comedy special, and formed the basis for his UPN sitcom of the same name, which ran for one season.

[stubbornforgey]

Look at that.
Note all the actors are dying at ripe old ages.
Theres hope for us drama queens yet .
RIP yvonne

[newb]

Very sad.



R.I.P. Bob Clark

[Posher778]

Originally Posted by newb

Very sad.



R.I.P. Bob Clark

That does suck:(

[Kemal]

Adding insult to injury is the fact that he was killed by an illegal alien.

[Posher778]

Originally Posted by Kemal

Adding insult to injury is the fact that he was killed by an illegal alien.

Now, now, how could you deny this adorable face?

[crabapple]

Originally Posted by Kemal

Adding insult to injury is the fact that he was killed by an illegal alien.

Has that actually been confirmed, then? There's been plenty of speculation but I only read that the guy was intoxicated and didn't have a license.

[newb]

Originally Posted by crabapple

Has that actually been confirmed, then? There's been plenty of speculation but I only read that the guy was intoxicated and didn't have a license.

LOS ANGELES -- A Mexican national accused of causing the crash that killed "A Christmas Story" director Bob Clark and his son will face deportation proceedings once the charges against him are resolved, officials said Thursday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement put an immigration hold Wednesday on Hector Velazquez-Nava, a 24-year-old illegal immigrant living in Los Angeles, said agency spokeswoman Virginia Kice.

The action means Velazquez-Nava will be turned over to federal immigration officials and placed in deportation proceedings once his local case is completed. He was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol and gross vehicular manslaughter, and was being held on $100,000 bail in a county jail.

If he posts bail, Velazquez-Nava would be taken into federal custody on the immigration hold, Kice said.

Police say Velazquez-Nava steered his sport utility vehicle into the wrong lane of Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades early Wednesday, striking Clark's sedan head-on. The filmmaker and his son, Ariel Hanrath-Clark, 22, died at the scene.

Authorities said Velazquez-Nava was driving without a license. He and his passenger were treated for minor injuries.

It was unclear whether Velazquez-Nava had retained an attorney. There was no phone listing under his name.

[crabapple]

Jeez. It just makes the whole thing even sadder.

[newb]

In books such as "Slaughterhouse-Five," "Cat's Cradle," and "Hocus Pocus," Kurt Vonnegut mixed the bitter and funny with a touch of the profound.

Vonnegut, regarded by many critics as a key influence in shaping 20th-century American literature, died Wednesday at 84. He had suffered brain injuries after a recent fall at his Manhattan home, said his wife, photographer Jill Krementz.

also



He's being remembered for his rich baritone voice and dignified bearing.

Actor Roscoe Lee Browne has died. A family spokesman said that Browne, who was 81, died Wednesday of cancer in Los Angeles.

Browne's career stretched from classic theater to cartoons.

His deep, cultured voice was heard narrating the 1995 hit movie "Babe." On screen, his character often was smart, cynical and well-educated, whether a congressman, a judge or a butler.

On television, he had several memorable guest roles. He was a snobbish black lawyer trapped in an elevator with bigot Archie Bunker in an episode of `All in the Family" and the butler Saunders in the comedy "Soap."

Browne won an Emmy in 1986 for a guest role as Professor Foster on "The Cosby Show."