Research Guru / Moderator
Posted:
Mar 11, 2007, 11:20 AM
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Tonight Show comedian Richard Jeni dead, 45
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Standup comedian Richard Jeni, who appeared numerous times on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, died following an apparently self-inflicted shooting in a West Hollywood, California home. He was 45.
A woman called police Saturday morning saying that her boyfriend had shot himself, said Officer Norma Eisenman, a public information officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. "My boyfriend shot himself in the face," the caller said at 9:50 a.m.
A loaded gun was reportedly found next to his body.
Taken to a local hospital, Jeni died sometime later from his injuries.
An autopsy will be carried out. "It's a death investigation," Eisenman said, adding that suicide had not been officially confirmed.
An unconfirmed report suggested that Jeni "chose to take his life because of a seemingly intractable medical condition."
Jeni guested as himself in Make 'Em Laugh, a 1994 episode of The Adventures of Batman and Robin. In it, Gotham City is plagued by a rash of crazy crimes committed by bizarre villains. Batman and Robin discover that the criminals are actually famous comedians brainwashed by the Joker.
He also appeared as himself in three episodes of the 2004 animated series Shorties Watching Shorties. And he was in Monte Carlo, a 1996 episode of Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist.
Born in Brooklyn, Jeni grew up in the Bensonhurst neighborhood and received an honors B.A. in political science from New York City's Hunter College.
Jeni, who played to sold-out crowds, played Charlie Schumaker in the Oscar-nominated 1994 Jim Carrey movie The Mask. In 2005, he wrote some of the material for the Academy Awards hosted by his friend Chris Rock.
He became famous throughout the United States in 1990 with the Showtime special Richard Jeni: Boy From New York City. In 1992, his Crazy From the Heat special drew the highest ratings in Showtime's history.
That year, he won the American Comedy Award for funniest male stand-up comic.
Jeni also starred in several HBO comedies. He appeared in The Aristocrats in 2005 and played himself in Richard Jeni: A Big Steaming Pile of Me.
(This post was edited by eminovitz on Mar 11, 2007, 1:52 PM)
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Key Animator / Contributor
Posted:
Mar 11, 2007, 2:55 PM
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Re: Tonight Show comedian Richard Jeni dead, 45
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Shame...Really funny guy.
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Research Guru / Moderator
Posted:
Mar 11, 2007, 5:19 PM
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Re: Tonight Show comedian Richard Jeni dead, 45
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"What was the medical condition that inspired him to take his own life?"
Whoever knows isn't telling.  
Richard was a real favorite on the Jay Leno Show -- supposedly he guested there more often than any other comedian. RIP.
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Supervising Animator / Contributor
Posted:
Mar 11, 2007, 7:09 PM
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Re: Tonight Show comedian Richard Jeni dead, 45
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Dang it! Why do the funny ones always have to leave us early??
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I love humanity, it's people that I have issues with.
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Directing Animator / Contributor
Posted:
Mar 12, 2007, 9:06 AM
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Re: Tonight Show comedian Richard Jeni dead, 45
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An unconfirmed report suggested that Jeni "chose to take his life because of a seemingly intractable medical condition." What was the medical condition that inspired him to take his own life? Oh, one show of his you didn't mention was Platypus Man. I managed to catch an episode of that once. It was quite well done. That is a damn shame. Another very funny and talented individual no longer with us.
"Platypus Man" ran on UPN for a few episodes. Jeni played himself as a New York cooking show host unlucky with the women he dates. He described himself as a "Platypus Man"...awkward when it comes to relations with females.
(This post was edited by artytoons on Mar 12, 2007, 9:06 AM)
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Research Guru / Moderator
Posted:
Mar 13, 2007, 2:36 PM
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Re: Tonight Show comedian Richard Jeni dead, 45
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A statement from the family of Richard Jeni
"Often times, when we are faced with a sudden and tragic loss, there is a natural curiosity -- a need to know what exactly happened.
"The family of Richard Jeni would like to put to rest any assumptions as to the cause of Richard's death. Despite the fact that the coroner's office has publicly stated that a suicide ruling will take two weeks, pending the results of an autopsy, Richard Jeni did take his own life.
"Rumors have been circulating as to the cause of his death and have included speculation of Richard being depressed over the state of his career or a physical ailment. His career was not even addressed by his special-ists when they were trying to diagnose Richard's illness. In fact, he had just enjoyed one of his most financially rewarding years to date. He was consistently creating new material for his busy touring schedule, and during the last week of his life, he had meetings scheduled with Chris Albrecht, Chairman and CEO of HBO, to discuss future projects following his last HBO special. In actuality, the past few years had been more prolific than ever. As his agents can attest, prior to his illness, Richard only missed one engagement in over twenty years, and that was due to weather.
"The truth is: earlier this year Richard Jeni was diagnosed with severe clinical depression coupled with bouts of psychotic paranoia. One only needs to have a family member or friend with a mental illness to understand that there is nothing rational, predictable, or fair about these diseases. Mental illness is as serious as any physical affliction and can be just as devastating.
"He was not down or blue, he was ill. If you knew Richard, you could understand, this was as much a shock to those close to him, as it is to his fans and colleagues. Perhaps Richard's passing will encourage people to have sympathy, compassion and understanding for those who are afflicted with mental illness. As we are all trying to make sense of this, take time to remember the joy and laughter Richard brought to the
countless people he touched during his much too short life."
(This post was edited by eminovitz on Mar 13, 2007, 2:39 PM)
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