Posted on 03/31/2005 11:38:25 AM PST by Constitution Day
Comedian Mitch Hedberg dead at 37
BY MATT PEIKEN
Pioneer Press
Even family and close friends had a hard time understanding Mitch Hedberg, a St. Paul native who ran away from home and, despite living a scattershot life, became a runaway success as a standup comic.
Hedberg, whose space-case persona was as much part of his soul as it was his act, died early Wednesday morning in a New Jersey hotel room. He was 37. A medical examiner hasn't issued findings, but Hedberg's family is told he suffered a heart attack. His wife was with him.
After graduating St. Paul's Harding High School, Hedberg rose through the ranks at Minneapolis' Acme Comedy Co., and caught his big break through a Comedy Central special. He made several appearances on David Letterman's and Conan O'Brien's shows, made more Comedy Central appearances and produced two comedy CDs. His big dream, to have an HBO comedy special, was in the works.
Hedberg's one-liners, dished off in a spacy staccato, were based on absurdist, random observations. His long, dirty blond hair harkened to the image of a 1970s stoner, and his success occurred in light of, in spite of and even because of his quarter-century affair with drugs and alcohol.
"I'd probably be living in Costa Rica, eating oranges on the beach, if I wasn't doing comedy," he told the Pioneer Press last September.
"There's no two ways about — having a son in entertainment industry is challenging," his mother, Mary Hedberg, said Thursday.
She recalls being at work when her oldest daughter called in a panic to tell her Mitch had packed some brown paper bags and left home. Mary Hedberg couldn't get home in time to either see him off or talk him out of it.
"That was heartbreaking for us, but he kept in contact with us. He called as soon as the car broke down," she said. "You know, it was like putting him through college, even though he wasn't at college. But when he got his first break, we were just so thrilled for him, because we wanted him to know he was O.K., and to have that self-confidence that he could do what he wanted to do."
Louis Lee, owner of the Acme, said Hedberg not only became the Twin Cities' first breakout comedian of the 1990s but, along with Lewis Black, helped shape a national resurgence in standup comedy.
"It's very difficult for one-liner comedians to get an audience going, but when Mitch worked here, you could see the kids call out the punchline," Lee said. "Mitch made the whole comedy community realize how important good writing is. It's a huge loss."
Unlike many comics, Hedberg was demonstrably thankful to his fans. Not long ago, a group of college students in Florida, speaking with Hedberg backstage after a show, mentioned how hot their dorm room was. Hedberg surprised them the next morning by showing up to their dorm with a new air conditioner.
"Mitch presented a lot of challenges, but a lot of opportunities for traveling that we wouldn't have otherwise had, and he had a heart of gold," his mother said. "He was a brilliant comic and a wonderful person."
Dates haven't been set, but eventual visitation and services will be at Wulff Family Services, Woodlane Mortuary, in Woodbury.
One of our local newspapers did a 3 part Q & A with our local mayoral candidates. The first two parts were on the issues, but the third was stuff like "What would you take to a desert island" and such. One of them (the "pro-abortion but I won't talk about it" aging hippy candidate) said she seldom finds the time to watch TV, but makes time for Masterpiece Theater. Her opponent, a salesman who a local columnist describes as having "hands like toasters," said he watches CSI and Packer games.
Heck, even before you get to the issues, that's a no brainer!
No, it just means coming into the person's obituary thread and saying it is annoying.
Thanks for the bump.
Please see my #75 re: XM Comedy 150's tribute to him on Saturday.
Man, that is so sad. I saw him live several times and got to meet him. I sent him an email once telling him how much I loved his Monster Magnet bit and he sent me an autographed photo. Mitch will be missed. He was supposed to be in Atlanta next week too, just damn.
Wow. How compassionate.
I have XM and I'm going to listen to that for sure! thanks man.
"My, you have a lot of cranium accessories"
Loved him.
Heroin is my guess (from various websites).
I put instant coffee in the microwave and went back in time....
Ended up being a drug overdose, I guess.
Not surprising. He did some drug-related humor, as you may know.
I haven't heard anything else about a cause of death since it happened. Do you have a link or anything?
Thanks,
CD
Damn.... I really liked to listen to this guy on XM comedy channels.....awesome funny !
I always figured Lewis Black would stroke out from his stress rants.......LOL !
Thanks for the grins and giggles Mitch....
Comedian Mitch Hedberg's Death Due To Drug Overdose
Cocaine, heroin detected in his system.
by Chris Harris
12.28.2005 3:51 PM EST
Comedian Mitch Hedberg's death in March was the result of an accidental drug overdose, according to the New Jersey medical examiner's office.
The official cause of death was determined to be "multiple drug toxicity." Traces of cocaine and heroin were detected in his system, according to the medical examiner's report filed in May.
Hedberg's body was discovered in a Livingston, New Jersey, hotel room on March 30 [2005]. At first, it was believed the comedian had died from heart failure, as he was born with a congenital heart defect and experienced chronic heart palpitations.
snip
Thanks.
I suspected from the outset that it was likely drugs. Still, it's sad to see it confirmed.
At first, because it was the day before April Fools' Day, most comedians thought it was a joke. It was sad to realize it was true.
Life as a road comic is hard. Drugs are the way many take to deal with the hardships. A problem is that by the time they make it to the level where it becomes easy, they are so addicted to drugs that it kills them.
Anyone taking bets that Carey is addicted to drugs?
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