Comedian Gallagher, Famed For Smashing Watermelons, Dead At 76

The man was beloved for his "Sledge-O-Matic" bit.
American comedian Gallagher in 1980.
American comedian Gallagher in 1980.
Fotos International via Getty Images

Comedian Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr., known by his stage name Gallagher, has died from organ failure, his family told NBC News. He was 76.

His longtime and former manager, Craig Marquardo, also confirmed the news to HuffPost.

The funnyman and sledgehammer enthusiast died Friday while in hospice care in his Palm Springs, California, home, his son-in-law told NBC. Before his death, he had spent years fighting serious health conditions, including several heart attacks.

Gallagher became a household name in 1980 with his comedy special “An Uncensored Evening,” directed by Mike Nesmith of The Monkees fame, Marquardo told HuffPost in an emailed statement. “This was the first comedy stand-up special ever to air on cable television.”

Gallagher on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1978.
Gallagher on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1978.
NBC via Getty Images

The prop comedian deployed his observational humor in multiple HBO specials and 14 specials that aired on Showtime and MTV. According to his website, he was the top-rated comedian in ticket sales and ratings for 15 years and performed 3,500 live shows throughout his decades-long career.

Toward the end of his career, the comedian starred in his first movie, “The Book of Daniel,” and had a series of very appropriate Geico commercials.

Gallagher was best known for his signature comedy bit, “Sledge-O-Matic,” in which he’d take a large mallet and release his anger by smashing various foods and objects. He’d often aim his props bits toward a live audience — forcing them to shield themselves with plastic and goggles.

Although Gallagher shattered everything from pound cake (heh) to a newspaper vending machine, his fans were most enthusiastic about his love for obliterating watermelons.

Marquardo told HuffPost that Gallagher toured for his loyal audience steadily until the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gallagher’s sense of humor stopped resonating with younger audiences in his later years. A 2011 review of a show he did in Florida by the Miami New Times described the comedian as “aging, confused, defensive, [and] slightly bigoted.”

Gallagher performing in San Francisco in 2011.
Gallagher performing in San Francisco in 2011.
C Flanigan via Getty Images

“Though it’d be sort of pompous to call Gallagher an actual bigot, let’s just say, it was more than a challenge for me to even get his knocks on gays, Blacks, Mexicans, Jews, and women,” the reviewer wrote.

Lindy West of Seattle’s “The Stranger” expressed a similar opinion in a 2011 review of one of his gigs in Washington state. West described being shocked to discover that Gallagher was “a paranoid, delusional, right-wing religious maniac” after a joke he made about former President Barack Obama’s skin tone.

“Gallagher was known for his edgy style, brilliant wordplay, and inventive props,” Marquardo told HuffPost.

While Gallagher had his detractors, he was an undeniable talent and an American success story.”

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