Welcome to Top10Archive!
Though some comedians may be outwardly funny, it may only serve to mask the darkness and
sadness within them.
In the comedic world, even the ostensibly brightest persona can be hiding an unhappy
reality.
In this somber Archive, we’ll be looking at the 10 saddest comedians ever to take the
stage.
10.
Bill Hicks On February 26th, 1994, comedian William Melvin
Hicks, better known as Bill Hicks, passed away after a short battle with pancreatic
cancer.
At the time of his death, he was known for his darker comedy which may have stemmed from
bouts of depression he struggled with in his twenties.
Cynthia True, writer of Hick’s biography, “American Scream,” spoke out about the
late comic’s more difficult times, which were laden with drinking and drugs.
Before his cancer diagnosis, Hicks had found a means of being relatively happy, but he
still struggled with dissatisfaction with himself, making it difficult for him to appreciate
his own work.
9.
Freddie Prinze Frederick Karl Pruetzel, or Freddie James
Prinze, took to the stage in 1973, starting with comedy clubs in New York City.
His career blossomed through stand-up, tackling hot-button issues like race relations and,
at the time, recreational drug use, but there was a darker side to the comic.
At 16, just three years before his career started, Prinze became addicted to cocaine
and Quaalude.
Reckless behavior was a staple for the troubled comedian, who had a tendency to play Russian
roulette.
When his wife filed for divorce, his depression drew him in deeper and, during a visit by
his business manager Marvin “Dusty” Snyder, he put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger.
While initially deemed a suicide, a civil case overturned the original ruling, citing
his penchant for Russian roulette, despite a suicide note left by the comic.
8.
Jerry Lewis Even the most iconic funnymen, like jack-of-all-trades
Jerry Lewis, have wrestled with demons throughout their most successful years.
In 1973, just having celebrated his 29th wedding anniversary, comedian, songwriter, and director
Jerry Lewis found himself tasting the cold metal of a .38-caliber revolver.
High on Percodan, an addiction he wrestled for a period of his life, Lewis was ready
to end it all until he heard his children laughing.
For a period of 13 years, his addiction took hold of him and sent him spiraling into a
dangerous stretch of pain and sorrow that almost ended in the bathroom of his own home.
Though he was able to kick the Percodan habit, depression struck him again in the early 2000’s
when he gained 56 pounds or roughly 25 kilograms while on prednisone for pulmonary fibrosis.
7.
Artie Lange On January 2nd, 2010, the severity of Artie
Lange’s depression, which he had made public on multiple occasions, escalated when the
comedian and actor slit his wrists, stabbed himself nine times, and drank bleach in an
unsuccessful suicide attempt.
Suffering from a heroin addiction and facing the stresses and monetary benefits of a successful
career, Lange also faced a debilitating gambling addiction which he cites as his “most damning
addiction.”
Money was being lost quicker than he could make it as the comedian seemed to work to
sabotage his own life.
Despite the gruesome suicide attempt, Lange survived and underwent a year of detox and
therapy to finally return to the spotlight as a stand-up comedian, co-host of The Nick
& Artie Show with Nick DiPaolo, and writer of Crash and Burn, his second of three books.
6.
Chris Farley To the public eye, Farley’s weight was part
of his charm and a good reason why everything he did was so hilarious.
With no apparent fear of humiliation, the actor and comedian never seemed to hesitate
when it came to doing the most ridiculous of things.
Beneath the hilarious exterior, though, was a man described by those closest to him as
troubled and sensitive.
In 1997, Farley overdosed from cocaine and morphine, leaving his fans in confusion as
his boisterous personality read as anything but sorrowed and fueled by drugs.
While his weight added to his boyish charm, it was also one of his greatest battles.
According to Joyce Sloane, a producer at Second City that helped Farley launch his career,
he wasn’t pleased with being the “fat boy” and often wrestled with depression
over his size and the stereotypes he feared he had fallen into.
5.
Greg Giraldo The New York-based, tell-it-like-it-is comedian
began his career as a stand-up comic in 1992 and for about 18 years, seemed to be enjoying
the fame that he had earned.
On September 25th, 2010, Giraldo was found having overdosed on prescription medication
and slipped into a coma.
Four days later, his life support was pulled.
Though successful, Giraldo’s career was always overshadowed by his own sense of failure,
an aspect of his personality that he didn’t often hide from public view.
In an interview with Psychology Today, the comedian discussed his obsessive personality
and constantly falling short of his potential and the numerous times he felt he screwed
up his life.
Despite swimming in depression most of his life, medical examiners determined his death
was accidental and not a suicide.
4.
Rodney Dangerfield Rodney Dangerfield was one of the greatest
insult comics of all time, though he’ll likely never be labeled as one.
Reason being - all of his insults were directed back at himself, and the audience loved it.
To be so self-depreciating, one has to have some form of inner conflict going on, and
for Mr. Dangerfield, it was what he called “The Heaviness.”
The pressures of success, a lifetime of feeling unloved, and a poor self-image may have made
Dangerfield an incredibly prolific comedian, but it also weighed on him – a fact he wasn’t
very shy about and often made it the focus of his routines.
Dangerfield was able to take the reality of depression and make millions laugh.
Yet many of his fans were unaware of the reality behind his comedy.
3.
Richard Pryor At the age of 10, Richard Pryor was abandoned
by his prostitute mother and went to live with his grandmother in her brothel.
Through years of sexual molestation, the young Pryor found himself getting lost in worlds
of fantasy through movies, which is where he found his comedic flair.
Though he could take his pains and turn them to laughs, the sorrow of his youth was always
there, nagging him and fueling his self-depreciating comedy.
His demons showed themselves in June of 1980 when the actor lit himself on fire after freebasing
cocaine for days and dousing himself with 151-proof rum.
While his daughter tried to claim the accident was an effect of the drugs, Pryor later admitted
he had tried to commit suicide.
2.
John Belushi At the age of 33 in 1982, actor and comedian
John Adam Belushi passed away after a fatal dose of heroin and cocaine, or “speedball,”
was injected into him.
Prior to his death, Belushi was revered by his colleagues, but there was a darker side
to him that wasn’t so well hidden.
Since his earlier days on Saturday Night Live, Belushi suffered from a cocaine habit that
partially formed to help with anxieties over the live television program.
According to his widow, Judith Jacklin, Belushi had been an “insecure man-child” and had
insecurities about his weight, which was quite opposite of what audiences saw on screen.
1.
Robin Williams Legendary actor, comedian, and all-around
nice guy, Robin Williams, was an inspiration to many and a source of endless entertainment
for all that knew and watched him.
On August 11, 2014, the comedian and actor was found in his home, having committed suicide
by hanging himself.
Though Williams was known for his boisterous demeanor, he also suffered from bouts of depression,
especially after the death of John Belushi, and, later in life, was unknowingly dealing
with a severe case of Lewy body dementia.
As the disease progressed, it left him paranoid, confused, and dealing with anxiety, tremors,
and insomnia that impeded his career and quality of life.
Aware of the deterioration of his own mind and finding it impossible to “reboot”
his brain, Williams took his own life.