Wow. Never can understand a younger person doing this... WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Richard Jeni, a standup comedian who played to sold-out crowds, was a regular on the "Tonight Show" and appeared in movies, died of a gunshot wound in an apparent suicide, police said Sunday. Police found the 45-year-old comedian alive but gravely injured in a West Hollywood home when they responded to a call Saturday morning from Jeni's girlfriend, Los Angeles Police Officer Norma Eisenman said. Eisenman said the caller told police: "My boyfriend shot himself in the face."... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070312/ap_on_re_us/obit_jeni;_ylt=AoMoaxVHYXpFdHoIGB9rr0qs0NUE
Jeni was my fave of all time. I must have seen him ten times. I saw a post on Elaine Boosler's blog from a guy who was in a mental health facility w/Richard. Obviously, he was clinically depressed and in tremendous torment. THose of us who aren't gay, can't understand why someone is gay, and so on. If you've ever been around depression, it is just brutal. We've all been down, but these people are just inconsolable. It is truly brutal. I feel so badly he was under such torment. God he was brilliant. Boosler was alluding that he never reached the fame he thought he deserved. I didn't know it, but he was writer for Chris Rock on the 05 Academy Awards. That's quite a comedown. I used to take 10 people to his shows, and we would cry from laughing. Every show was different, and everyone was great. We'd go Wednesday nite, and then Friday or Saturday. You could see him work on material. He could never understand why we'd beg him for old stuff. "you've already heard it." It was all brilliant. 1991, the First Iraq War. His mother watching CNN "they're so young". "Who do ya want flying jets, Ma, old people??. Murray-y-y-y-y-y. Did you bring the bombs? Look Sadie, the people on the ground. They look llike ants." "They are ants Murray. You haven't taken off yet." Saw him in Vegas. He opens with this off the cuff bit about the crap table. Amazing amount of material. . Treat yourself to some of his videos. I feel like I lost a friend. My wife and I just looked at each other is such disbelief. Terrible. Reach out to someone you know who's depressed. He/She needs it badly. Thanks for posting it with the picture. I put something in the joke thread with some bits of his. The picture was a very nice thing to do.
Didn't know he had a problem with depression. And I guess the pressure to always make people laugh and constantly come up with new material was enormous. Especially when you feel as down as he must have, at times. Sad.
an absolute genius not only in material but in delivery of that material..I saw him in gator growl back in like 1990 and he was as funny as they come... too bad, didnt know he was gay..
RichardJeni.com Family updated, and his friends are contributing. It's a good read. He was diagnosed as clinically depressed, and get this, Psychotic Paranoia. PP is very rare. REad about it. They hear voices through thewalls, think everybody is out to get you. He was, as awful as this sounds, mentally ill. He probably just offed himself to stop the voices.