Watermelon-smashing comedian Leo Gallagher, better know by his last name, suffered a heart attack Wednesday in a Texas club where he was scheduled to perform.
Gallagher, who had suffered a heart attack during a March 2011 performance in Minnesota, was scheduled to perform at Hat Tricks, a club in Lewisville, Texas, Wednesday.
His manager, Craig Marquardo, tells TheWrap that Gallagher "had met a few fans and whatnot, and he was in the office (of Hat Tricks) when he felt a little tired. So he went in and sat down, and then (club employees) went in and checked on him and he wasn't feeling good, so they called an ambulance.
"He was feeling the onset of a heart attack," Marquardo says. "He just didn't know it at the time."
As of Thursday morning, the prop comic was still a Dallas-area hospital, where he will remain for a few days while doctors evaluate his heart health.
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As for Gallagher's future tour schedule — he has performances booked through the end of 2012 — Marquardo says Thursday's schedule performance at the Dosey Doe in Woodlands, Texas is cancelled, and that the rest of the lineup will be evaluated once the comedian is feeling better.
Gallagher, known for his barrage of props, from melon-smashing mallets to giant-sized furniture, rose to fame in the standup boom of the 1980s. The heart attack occurring so close to the anniversary of his previous attack is just the latest odd chapter in his recent career.
Recent bizarre episodes included suing his brother, Ron Gallagher, who used to tour as "Gallagher Too" or "Gallagher Two" and use Leo Gallagher's signature "Sledge-O-Matic" prop.
Leo Gallagher had originally given Ron permission to be his professional doppelganger, but successfully sued to keep Ron from impersonating him or doing his act.
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Gallagher has also been accused of making racist, homophobic jokes in his stand-up act recently. A 2010 Salon.com article noted his rants against "French fags," unusual baby names (which he said give kids "little lesbian tendencies") and Barack Obama, of whom he said, "You’re a latte, you’re half whole-milk … you could be a terrorist!"
In January 2011, Gallagher walked out during an interview on the "WTF With Marc Maron" podcast when Maron pressed him on whether some of his jokes are racist and homophobic.
Listen to a portion of the podcast below: