Comedian Gallagher Dies at 76

Gallagher, a stand-up and prop comic known for smashing watermelons onstage as part of his act, has died, TMZ reports. The tabloid is in contact with Gallagher’s longtime manager, who says that the comedian has been in poor health for quite some time, and passed away while under hospice care in Palm Springs early this morning. Organ failure is being cited as his cause of death, with a number of heart attacks having contributed to his declining health in recent years.

Gallagher rose to prominence after appearing on The Tonight Show in 1975. Like so many other comedians of his generation, Johnny Carson helped make him a household name.

Gallagher intermingled jokes with prop gags, most famously his “Sledge-O-Matic.” Originally conceived as a parody of Veg-O-Matic commercials, it outpaced its original inspiration in popularity, becoming a staple of Gallagher’s act for the rest of his career and arguably the most famous routine ever performed by a prop comic.

The conceit is simple: Gallgher would pummel a number of food items with a sledgehammer on stage, culminating with the destruction of a watermelon. The front rows of his shows would routinely be outfitted with some kind of dropcloth or raincoat to prevent being covered in food by the end of the performance.

Gallagher became a pop culture staple, and a love-him-or-hate-him figure in comedy. He has been homaged and parodied in popular culture countless times, and most recently was a minor character in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, in which he was played by Paul F. Thompkins.

During his career, Gallagher had 17 comedy specials released, including 11 between 1980 and 1987. He also performed small roles in a handful of films, and appeared on shows like Celebrity Big Brother and Hollywood Squares. At one point, he was so in-demand that his brother made a successful career out of touring as “Gallagher II.” 

His health struggles became public in 2011, when he collapsed on stage during a performance. The next year, he suffered a heart attack shortly before going onstage and a show had to be postponed. Gallagher effectively retired not long after a 2014 appearance on Gotham Comedy Live, and has been living quietly since.

Gallagher is survived by his daughter Aimee and his son Barnaby. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, fans, and collaborators during this difficult time.