Watermelon smasher turned 'paranoid right-wing maniac'

American comedian Gallagher, best known for his smashing watermelons on stage with a slegehammer he dubbed the Sledge-O-Matic, has died at the age of 76.

He had been in ill health for many years, since suffering two heart attacks in the space of two weeks in March 2012. Nevertheless he  toured steadily until the Covid-19 pandemic hit

In a statement, his manager Craig Marquardo said: 'After a short health battle, Gallagher, born Leo Gallagher, succumbed to his ailments and passed away surrounded by his family in Palm Springs, California.'

He added that he was 'known for his edgy style, brilliant wordplay, and inventive props', saying that: 'He was pretty sure he held a record for the most stand-up dates, by attrition alone.'

Gallagher became a household name in 1980 with An Uncensored Evening, the first stand-up comedy special to ever to air on the Showtime cable channel. Gallagher would go on to create 12 more hour-long specials for them.

Although his act was largely based on cheesy wordplay, his use of sterotypes led to him facing accusations of racism and homophobia in his act, with some venues cancelling his shows and one review calling him a 'paranoid, delusional, right-wing religion maniac'.

When fellow comic Marc Maron grilled him on the unsavoury nature of some of his jokes on his WTF podcast, Gallagher stormed out. He had a similar clash with Peter Serafinowicz on his podcast.
 

Published: 11 Nov 2022