5 months ago
John Mulrooney, a stand-up comedian, actor, TV host, power characteristic and longtime section cop, died abruptly astatine his Coxsackie, New York home, according to aggregate reports. He was 67.
Born and raised successful Brooklyn, Mulrooney was champion known arsenic a stand-up comic. He made his sanction performing astatine The Improv, The Comedy Store, The Comic Strip and The Laugh Factory.
Andrew Dice Clay took to Instagram to retrieve what made his friend special.
“Crowd Work was his point agelong earlier it became a thing,” wrote Clay of Mulrooney’s talent for engaging pinch and doing bits astir nan audience.
Clay recalled seeing Mulrooney astatine Pips Comedy Club In Brooklyn, wherever they some started.
“The owners Marty and Seth told maine to watch him. He was really astonishing astatine it,” wrote Clay.
To Mulrooney, crowd activity was akin to cooking a meal.
“I look astatine nan assemblage arsenic a herb rack,” Mulrooney said successful 2010. “I cognize I’m gonna make a awesome meal; I’m conscionable not judge of nan ingredients yet.”
Adam Sandler once told Joe Rogan that Mulrooney was 1 of nan stand-up performers “you didn’t want to spell after.”
Remembered Sandler, “Mulrooney would conscionable destruct a room. He was truthful loose and could predominate nan room.”
Clay pointed retired that, conscionable because Mulrooney ne'er achieved nan aforesaid level of fame arsenic he and Sandler did, Mulrooney was still awesome astatine what he did.
“He was nan past comedian to travel retired of that nine that everybody thought would go a really really large star! Johnny was tall, bully looking, An ex Boxer … he besides had nan ingredients… The subject to get up location each night, nan drive, nan want and consenting to spell done immoderate it had to beryllium to claw his measurement to nan top.”
Clay continued, “The point I’m getting astatine is that he ne'er gave up, he ne'er stopped trying, which is what it’s each astir successful my book. Not everybody climbs to nan top, and not everybody becomes a superstar. John was a great, awesome comedian.”
In nan early ’80s, Mulrooney did stand-up connected a TV show called Comedy Tonight. He went connected to constitute and nutrient original contented for 165 episodes of nan series. Mulrooney besides competed connected nan Ed McMahon-fronted Star Search. He lost, but was hired arsenic a writer.
When Joan Rivers near Fox’s The Late Show successful 1987, Mulrooney replaced her. The show was, however, canceled a fewer months later. He besides guest-hosted connected The Pat Sajak Show.
He sewage different changeable arsenic nan big of Comic Strip: Live, a TV type of a drama nine show filmed successful beforehand of a unrecorded audience. It aired locally connected KTTV successful Los Angeles earlier Fox brought nan show to its owned-and-operated stations. Fox took Comic Strip: Live nationalist connected Saturday nights for a twelvemonth earlier it ended.
Mulrooney besides appeared connected HBO, Showtime, A&E and Comedy Central.
On nan large screen, he played a talk show big other Dennis Quaid successful Great Balls of Fire.
True to Clay’s testimony, Mulrooney did each this while maintaining a talk power career.
In nan precocious 1990s, nan comedian co-hosted an Albany-based greeting show pinch Bob “The Wolf” Wohlfeld connected WPYX. Mulrooney joined nan Poughkeepsie-based WPDH in 2010 earlier moving to iHeartRadio for “Mulrooney successful nan Morning.”
At 52, Mulrooney joined nan Coxsackie Police Department, wherever he served done 2024. That led to a aviator for a reality show called Comedy Cop, pursuing Mulrooney’s experiences arsenic a constabulary serviceman successful a small-town.
Visitation will beryllium held astatine Casey Funeral Home successful Staten Island connected January 4 from 2-6 p.m.
His ceremonial will return spot astatine nan Church of nan Holy Family successful New York connected January 5 astatine 10:30 am.
In lieu of flowers donations whitethorn beryllium made successful John’s representation to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
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