by ast Thursday, comedic icon Gallagher was rushed to Saint Marys Hospital in Minnesota after collapsing on stage, but doctors say he should be okay.
During a stand up performance, the 64-year-old suddenly gripped his chest and fell to the stage. After being examined, it was determined he had suffered a minor heart attack.
Leo Anthony Gallagher, better known by his stage name, simply “Gallagher,” began a stand up career in 1969, building his popular act throughout the 1970s around his famous prop, the “Sledge-O-Matic” (a tree trunk attached to a handle). His notoriety exploded during the 1980s with 16 comedy specials on Showtime, sold out arenas, and guest appearances and references on countless other sitcoms and talk shows.
I remember watching his Showtime specials growing up during the mid- and late-1970s. Even as a kid, I was drawn more to his biting political wit and observations on human behavior than I ever was to his “prop comedy.” Looking at some old clips now, I believe the man to be one of those eccentric geniuses able to look at the world with less conformity and more logic than most of us who follow the crowd.
During the 1990s, his younger brother, Ron, received permission from Gallagher to use the “Sledge-O-Matic” in his own stand up act, as long as it was clear he was NOT “the” Gallagher. Ron began promoting himself as Gallagher, and the brothers ended up in court. Eventually, Ron was ordered to ‘cease and desist’ his “Gallagher Too” show.
The real Gallagher has continued to tour extensively and make public appearance into the 2000s, albeit to smaller audiences.
The latest word is the comedian plans to continue smashing watermelons on his current tour soon
