Comedian Gallagher, died at the age of 76 According to his relatives, American comedian Leo Gallagher died at the age of 76.
Gallagher died of organ failure while in hospice care in his Palm Springs, California, home, according to his son-in-law. He had been ill and had suffered several heart attacks. According to his longstanding former manager, Craig Marquardo, Gallagher’s comedy stand-up show “An Uncensored Evening” was the first to premiere on cable television in 1980.
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He rose to prominence with his signature sketch, “Sledge-O-Matic,” in which he’d smash a variety of foods with a large, handmade wooden mallet before ending with the main act — a watermelon.
Gallagher was America’s top comic for 15 years, with comedy specials broadcast on Showtime and MTV. Gallagher hosted 14 Showtime specials and about 3,500 live comedy shows over the course of his career, according to his website. Toward the end of his career, he appeared in Geico commercials as well as his first film, “The Book of Daniel.”