Some people might think that comedians are always happy because they tell jokes for a living. However, many comedians suffer from mental illness, drug addiction, and trauma. We see the laughter but, sadly, we don’t see the pain that many of these comics suffer. Here are 25 Comedians with Tragic Stories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAepfnhKViY He has a popular podcast and his Twitter handle has over 137 thousand followers. He managed to get some work after that, but usually as supporting roles. In 2005, Rocket committed suicide in a field by his Connecticut home. Bruce had a successful comedy career for a while. Sadly, his drug use got the better of him, and his career started to fade. Bruce died of an apparent overdose in August of 1966. Although Knotts was known to be a funny man, his upbringing was anything but. His father suffered from schizophrenia and sometimes came after Knotts with a knife. On May 28th, 1998, Hartman’s wife, Brynn, fatally shot him. After confessing to the murder, she also committed suicide. She had been intoxicated and using cocaine at the time. Those who knew Farley said he constantly indulged in drugs and alcohol. On December 8th, 1997, Farley died of a drug overdose. Hart uses his upbringing in his act. Although he can laugh at it now, he says it was very hard. Hart’s dad was a drug addict who was in and out of jail. Many times his father would rob and steal from his own family. But life is not a TV show though. Many times during their marriage there was talk of infidelity and threats of violence. Ball also faced tragedy growing up. After an unfortunate incident involving an accident with a gun, her father had to declare bankruptcy. He passed away in 2010 from an accidental overdose of prescription pills. On January 16th, 1997, Cosby’s son, Ennis, was shot and killed in a robbery attempt. His daughter, Ensa, died at the age of 44. He was convicted and imprisoned in 2018 for sex offenses after more than 60 women came forward and accused him of various forms of sexual misconduct. Growing up, Carrey’s life was anything but a comedy. His family was very poor and they often found themselves homeless. Carrey dropped out of school to support them. In 2015, his ex-girlfriend Cathriona White committed suicide. A couple of wrongful death lawsuits were filed against him in the wake of this tragedy. Prinze enjoyed a life of fame and partying. He always had an endless supply of drugs and women. Eventually, the lifestyle got to Prinze and he committed suicide in January of 1977. Ultimately, this sort of led to his death. During the taping of a new TV show, Foxx grabbed his heart and collapsed. His co-stars at first thought it was a joke. Foxx wasn’t acting and he died of a heart attack. Thankfully, sometimes there is recovery after the tragedy. Hicks died of pancreatic cancer at the young age of 32. Schimmel died from injuries after a car accident in September of 2010. When Jay Leno took over, Jeni was on the show more than any other comedian. Jeni also suffered from deep depression and in March of 2007, he committed suicide. Like many comics, Pryor also struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. One night while under the influence of cocaine, Pryor accidentally set himself on fire due to a drug-induced psychosis. Pryor suffered from multiple sclerosis and died of a heart attack on December 10th, 2005. He was greatly respected by other comedians. O’Neal died of diabetes in 2011. He was 41 years old. For years Kaufman fooled audiences in thinking he was from another country. Kaufman died of a form of lung cancer when he was only 34. Butler struggled to find work for many years, and at one point went from living in a mansion to being homeless. She is still working as an actress, writer, and comedian. He was also a user of drugs and alcohol and often talked about them in his routine. Hedberg died of a drug overdose in 2005. Kinison also had a drug addiction, but that’s not what killed him. His vehicle collided with that of a teenage driver who had been drinking. The teenager had drifted into Kinison’s lane and he died shortly after. He was 38 years old. Sadly, Belushi was a little too much like his character, and on March 5th, 1982, Belushi died of a drug overdose. He was 33 years old. His death in the summer of 2014 shocked and saddened millions. Williams was known for his off-the-wall humor and clever improvisations. He acted in many great movies, including Dead Poets Society, Patch Adams, and Good Morning, Vietnam. He also starred as Mork in the hit TV show of the late 70s and early 80s, “Mork and Mindy.”
