Comedian Gallagher Suffers Heart Attack, Not His First
Prop comic Gallagher, best known for obliterating watermelons with a sledgehammer, suffered a heart attack on Wednesday night. The 65-year-old was taken by ambulance to a hospital after he complained of having chest pains.
Gallagher's manager, Craig Marquado, spoke with CBS 11 of Dallas. Marquado said Gallagher is having "very serious issues with his heart." He expected his client to be in the hospital for an extended period.
According to various sources, including TMZ, Gallagher (real name: Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr.) was in a Texas bar when he suddenly collapsed. He was set to perform later that night. This isn't Gallagher's first heart attack. He suffered a minor one onstage last year while performing in Minnesota.
Though he was arguably most famous during the '80s, Gallagher remains a well-known comedian. In the '90s, Gallagher's younger brother, Ron Gallagher, began impersonating his big bro and performed a similar comedy routine at clubs. Leo Gallagher sued Ron, who is no longer permitted to impersonate him.
Gallagher is a big believer in his own abilities. In 2005, Gallagher gave an interview with the Oregonian in which he ripped on the comedic talents of everyone from Jay Leno to David Letterman, Tom Hanks, and Michael Keaton.
Gallagher has come under fire in recent years for onstage rants that some consider to be racist or homophobic. In an article in The Stranger, Seattle writer Lindy West recounts some of the comic's jokes from a 2010 performance, when he raged against the French, transsexuals, gays, Mexicans, and President Obama.
When Gallagher was asked whether he thought his act was racist and homophobic in a recent podcast interview, he walked out.
Watch a vintage Gallagher performance right here:
