Leo Gallagher, the prop comic best known for smashing watermelons as part of his act, died early Friday, according to multiple reports. He was 76.
The death of the comedian, known simply by his last name, was first reported by TMZ. His former longtime manager, Craig Marquardo, also confirmed his death to Variety.
Gallagher died of organ failure while under hospice care in California, according to TMZ. The comedian had dealt with health issues in recent years, including a heart attack in 2012 that necessitated he be put in a medically induced coma, The Orange County Register reported.
Gallagher was well known for his signature “Sledge-O-Matic” sketch, in which he used a mallet to smash objects, including watermelons. In 2016, he told the News-Press that he wrote the sketch when he was 25. He added that he got the idea to smash a watermelon before performing at a comedy club in Los Angeles one New Year’s Eve.
“I was amazed I could fit that watermelon in a suitcase,” he said, according to the News-Press. “Because you have to carry that stuff through the audience to the stage (at the comedy club).”
Gallagher started his comedy career in 1969, The Morning Call reported. In the 1980s, he performed in more than a dozen television comedy specials, becoming one of the decade’s best known comics, according to Reuters.
Gallagher is survived by his daughter, Aimee, and his son, Barnaby, TMZ reported.
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