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Gallagher, watermelon-smashing comedian, dead at 76 | CNN
Comedian Gallagher, best known for his watermelon-smashing comedy routine and many popular specials in the 1980s, died Friday morning, according his manager Craig Marquardo. He was 76.
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Gallagher, watermelon-smashing comedian, dead at 76
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
Updated 12:18 PM EST, Fri November 11, 2022
Comedian Gallagher, seen here performing at The Ice House Comedy Club on May 23, 2014 in Pasadena, California, has died, according to his manager.
Michael S. Schwartz/WireImage/Getty Images
CNN —
Comedian Gallagher, best known for his watermelon-smashing comedy routine and many popular specials in the 1980s, died Friday morning, according his manager Craig Marquardo. He was 76.
According to a statement provided to CNN by Marquardo, the comedian died “after a short health battle” and “passed away surrounded by his family in Palm Springs, California.”
Gallagher, born Leo Gallagher, became a household name in the early ’80s with a comedy special titled “An Uncensored Evening,” the first comedy stand up special ever to air on cable television, according to an obituary shared by Marquardo.
Gallagher’s most famous bit involved a hand-made sledgehammer he called the “Sledge-O-Matic,” which he would use to smash food on stage, spraying the audience.
Comedian Gallagher circa 1970s.
