Gallagher — the mononymous American comic recognized for his prop comedy routine that involved smashing watermelons and other objects with a sledgehammer — has died. The comedian's son-in-law confirmed Gallagher passed away Friday from organ failure while in hospice care at his home in Palm Springs, CA. He was 76.
As one of the most recognizable American comedians of the 1980s, Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr.'s signature sketch was known as the "Sledge-O-Matic," in which he would pitch the audience on a large, handmade wooden mallet he would then brandish onstage to obliterate food and other objects — the last of which was usually a watermelon.
As seen in the above video, audience members in the first few rows of Gallagher performances came kitted with raincoats or tarps to protect themselves from the "Sledge-O-Matic" spray.
Sometimes, the routine resulted in injury. In 2010, a woman who ran towards the stage during a Gallagher performance at the Washington County Fair in Hillsboro, OR, was sent to hospital with a broken ankle after slipping on "remnants of creamed corn, honey, fruit, creamed marshmallows and sauerkraut, among other food items," per The Oregonian.
Across his career, Gallagher recorded upwards of 13 comedy specials, and made guest appearances on The Eric Andre Show and Celebrity Big Brother 2. Recently, he was recently portrayed by Paul F. Tompkins in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.
In spite of cardiac health scares, Gallagher would continue touring into the oughts and '10s, with later career performances criticized for allegedly featuring bigoted material.
As one of the most recognizable American comedians of the 1980s, Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr.'s signature sketch was known as the "Sledge-O-Matic," in which he would pitch the audience on a large, handmade wooden mallet he would then brandish onstage to obliterate food and other objects — the last of which was usually a watermelon.
As seen in the above video, audience members in the first few rows of Gallagher performances came kitted with raincoats or tarps to protect themselves from the "Sledge-O-Matic" spray.
Sometimes, the routine resulted in injury. In 2010, a woman who ran towards the stage during a Gallagher performance at the Washington County Fair in Hillsboro, OR, was sent to hospital with a broken ankle after slipping on "remnants of creamed corn, honey, fruit, creamed marshmallows and sauerkraut, among other food items," per The Oregonian.
Across his career, Gallagher recorded upwards of 13 comedy specials, and made guest appearances on The Eric Andre Show and Celebrity Big Brother 2. Recently, he was recently portrayed by Paul F. Tompkins in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.
In spite of cardiac health scares, Gallagher would continue touring into the oughts and '10s, with later career performances criticized for allegedly featuring bigoted material.