Leo Gallagher, a comedian known just by his last name who got his start at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, Calif., died Friday morning, according to reports citing his manager.
As news spread of his passing, people started sharing condolences on social media.
“He was a one of a kind,” said comedian Marc Maron in a tweet. “A singular entertainer. A difficult man. RIP Gallagher (if possible).”
“Smash a watermelon in his [honor] today,” tweeted Canadian social media personality Eric Alper.
Craig Marquardo, Gallagher’s manager, said the comedian struggled with a “short health battle” before he passed surrounded by friends and family in Palm Springs, Calif.
He was from Fort Bragg, N.C. and earned a chemical engineering degree from the University of South Florida before he moved to L.A. in the 1970s and started performing as a prop comedian, according to his biography from Sleaker Entertainment. He became known for his watermelon-smashing bit using a hand-made sledgehammer called the Sledge-o-Matic.
Often, the audience would get sprayed with watermelon. “That was something else he liked to claim credit for, which was physically engaging the audience in that manner,” said an obituary Marquardo provided to CNN.
The bit landed Gallagher guest spots on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson by 1975. Gallagher became a well-known name after his comedy special “An Uncensored Evening” became the fist to be aired on cable television in the 1980s. He would go on to do many specials.
Later in life, Gallagher was criticized for including xenophobic and bigoted jokes in his routine, according to Rolling Stone. Despite this and health problems, he continued to perform regularly.
“While his counterparts went on to do sitcoms, host talk shows and star in movies, Gallagher stayed on the road touring America for decades,” according to his obituary. “He was pretty sure he held a record for the most stand up dates, by attrition alone.”
Gallagher is survived by a son, Barnaby, and daughter Aimee. His daughter appeared with him on his specials when she was a child.
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