Comedian Gallagher has died at the age of 76. He was most well known for bringing onto the stage his Sledge-O-Matic and smashing watermelons. He was born Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr., on July 24, 1946, in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
In the 1990s, he became famous when his brother Ron started performing as Gallagher Too or Gallagher Two, with generally the same act. In fact, sometimes it was completely unclear who was who.
He kept performing and even performed as Gallagher in a Geico Commerical in 2012. He finally stopped touring around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
I remember, as a kid growing up in New York, going out to Westbury Long Island to see him smash watermelons in concert. When the time came to smash the vegetables, it was as if nothing else mattered and the audience went completely nuts.
1. Andy Baio brought up a video game which I vaguely recall.
Most people will remember Gallagher as the watermelon sledgehammer guy or as a racist right-wing homophobe who sued his lookalike brother for stealing his act, but let’s not forget he was also the star of one of the worst arcade games ever made https://t.co/pxUa65sOEy
— Andy Baio (@waxpancake) November 11, 2022
2. But live and learn, turns out others played this video game with Gallagher.
honestly thought Gallagher had died years ago; I recall playing this awful laserdisc game at California Extreme one year.
Also I remember watching one of his comedy specials as a kid and being surprised that I didn't like it at all despite his hitting fruit with a hammer. pic.twitter.com/agWzhYUba5— Shane Bettenhausen (@ShaneWatch) November 11, 2022
3. Raul Roa linked to an article in the LA Times.
Gallagher, the melon-smashing comedian who hurled food into audiences, has died https://t.co/hAaFHDkGoN
— Raul Roa (@raulroa) November 11, 2022
4. In a bit of Dark Humor, Chris Deluca tweets…
Breaking: Gallagher 2 gets a promotion!
— chris deluca (@whatsucksblog) November 11, 2022
5. Craig also took that route…
*Yoda voice*
There is . . . another.
(seriously, Google it; there is)https://t.co/O9HtzPGtt0
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) November 11, 2022
6. Jenny had a sweet memory…of sweat and watermelon.
I saw that Gallagher died.. so here is a #FlashbackFriday to that time when I interviewed him in 2010 & he made me wear his shirt from the night before, still wet with sweat/watermelon juice pic.twitter.com/Yzk44eAQAP
— Jenny Hansson (@jennyhKOIN) November 11, 2022
7. Greg Gifford had a sweet GIF.
Aw man – Gallagher died… always loved his sense of humor pic.twitter.com/mc8flIjbCX
— Greg Gifford (@GregGifford) November 11, 2022
8. I don’t know who Jackie is, but opening for Gallagher II is quite interesting.
OG Gallagher died!! i opened for Gallagher II!
— Kashian (@jackiekashian) November 11, 2022
9. I absolutely love this story from Wilson.
So Gallagher has died.🍉A friend and I wandered into his show in a tent at Outside Lands in 2011. Grew up w/ him on tv, right? Anyways, he hit the crowd with some jokes that were ill advised for SF. People got pretty surly. By the end it was just a lot of screaming. Weird memory.
— Wilson Walker (@WilsonKPIX) November 11, 2022
(Featured image from a screengrab of the youtube of the Geico Commerical)
Maria Spanadoris an experienced online writer with a passion for general entertainment stories. As a Greek mom, Maria brings her unique perspective to her writing, infusing her work with warmth and humor. She has been writing online for over 20 years, starting her career at thecelebritycafe.com. Since then, Maria has honed her skills as a writer, developing a talent for crafting engaging and informative content that keeps her readers coming back for more. Whether she's covering the latest celebrity gossip or writing about her own experiences as a mom, Maria's writing is always relatable and engaging.
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Maria Spanadorishttps://famadillo.com/author/marias/
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Maria Spanadorishttps://famadillo.com/author/marias/
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Maria Spanadorishttps://famadillo.com/author/marias/
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Maria Spanadorishttps://famadillo.com/author/marias/
