“Last Comic Standing” judge Greg Giraldo died on Wednesday, five days after an apparent overdose of prescription pills in a New Jersey Hotel room, according to friend and fellow comedian Jim Norton.
Discovered by a friend when he failed to show up at a concert, he was 44.
Considered a fast-talking “insult comic,” he has been a longtime mainstay of Comedy Central, headlining channel’s “Indecision ‘08” tour. He was a regular panelist on ”Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil,” “Tough Crowd With Colin Quinn” and the star of the short-lived series, “Common Law.” A 2005 proposed Comedy Central series, “The Greg Giraldo Show” failed to be picked up.
Born in the Bronx on Dec. 10, 1965, he was a graduate of Harvard Law School and worked as a lawyer for a year before becoming a comedian.
It is not known for sure whether the overdose was accidental or a suicide attempt, though his management company put out a statement that he’d had “an accidental overdose, and he is in critical condition.”
Hearing of his death, fellow comedian Sarah Silverman tweeted:"RIP Greg Giraldo. Belly-laugh hilarious, prolific, good & kind. A thousand oys can't express."
Following the news, the homepage of his website was taken over by a photo of the comedian with a link to his Facebook page for “notes of condolence.”
He had three children; his family is planning a memorial service in his honor.
