Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Reggie McFadden has died at the age of 57.
The In Living Color actor, who was also known for his work on Def Comedy Jam, passed away in Tanzania, where he has been living for the last 18 years.
His sister, author Bernice McFadden confirmed the news to TMZ after the family were contacted by the US State Department to inform them of the tragic news.
She noted that the State Department didn’t reveal when or how he died, while McFadden had been estranged from his family over “family s***”.
The comedian – who grew up on Brooklyn, New York – started his stand up career aged 18, when he honed his skills in coffee houses around Manhattan as a way to avoid the projects.
McFadden once joked on an episode of Def Comedy Jam: “I just came from my cousin’s house, man, he lives in the projects, man.
“We all got cousins who live in the projects, man. We hate going there, don’t we?
“Brother lives on the 20th floor and why is it, when you go to the projects, the intercom never works? It’s always broken!”
McFadden made a number of appearances on Def Comedy Jam, which highlighted a range of rising comics, and served as both a writer and comedian between 1991 and 1995.
He later made ratings history with his own Comedy Central special in 1998, and went onto appear on the likes of Late Night, the Late Show and more.
For the latter, which was hosted by David Letterman at the time, he auditioned 12 times before landed the coveted spot.
Speaking to the LA Times newspaper in 1996, he said: “I’ve been waiting a long time to get on his show. So when I went out I said, ‘There’s not going to be any mistakes.’ “
When McFadden appeared on the show, he made producers nervous with a joke about crack cocaine, which he insisted was “more of a physical joke”.
He explained: “I just talk about how [crack] is spreading around so much, and I can’t understand it.
“I tell them how my neighbour smokes it right on the porch like [he’s drinking] lemonade. He’ll talk to me while I’m walking down the block.
“He’ll say ‘Hey, how was work? Are they keeping you busy?’ I wouldn’t know what to say: ‘How’s the crack going? The pipe staying hot?’ “
The Late Show producers eventually decided to allow the joke to air.
As well as his stand-up career and starring in season five of live sketch show In Living Color, McFadden flourished on the small screen with an acting career after relocating to Los Angeles.
He scored parts in the likes of Coach, Martin, Hangin’ With Mr Cooper, Getting Personal, and an appearance as Larry David’s neighbour Officer Burt in a 2001 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
He also had a number of minor film roles in the likes of Jacob’s Ladder and Little Nicky.
