Comedian Greg Giraldo – “RIP Buddy”

Beloved comedian Greg Giraldo died in a New Jersey hospital today, four days after being admitted and following what is believed to be an accidental overdose of prescription medication. His family was with him at the time of his death.

Before becoming a comedian extraordinaire, a venerable artist of insult comedy,  Giraldo was an attorney who had received his law education from the likes of Columbia and Harvard Law Schools.

E! online’s Natalie Finn reported that Jim Norton, a fellow comic and longtime friend of Giraldo, was the first to report Giraldo’s passing via Twitter. He tweeted a photo of the two of them with the message, “RIP Buddy.”

“The Improv” comedy club followed Norton’s tweet with its own, “R.I.P. Greg Giraldo … One of the funniest MFers every to grace a comedy stage! Will be missed by all. So sad.”

“Belly-laugh hilarious, prolific, good & kind. A thousand oys can’t express.” — Sarah Silverman’s tweet response to the news

Giraldo was a judge on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” as well as a frequent guest on “The Howard Stern Show” and a fixture on the “Comedy Central” roast circuit.

The comic struggled with alcohol addiction over the years. In September 2005, Giraldo revealed on “The Howard Stern Show” that he had been sober, minus one slip-up, for five months.

Giraldo made more than a dozen appearances on “The Late Show With David Letterman” and “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” and did regular stand-up at the famed “Comedy Cellar” and “Gotham Comedy Club” in New York. His “Midlife Vices” was voted the “No. 1 comedy album of 2009″ by Punchline Magazine and he was a guest on Jerry Seinfeld’s “The Marriage Ref” last season.

In a 2007 interview with Cornell University’s Daily Sun, Giraldo was asked why he abandoned the law to pursue comedy.

“Jesus,” he deadpanned. “It’s a very complex issue, but, you know, if you really read the New Testament close, I think you’d understand.”

Here is a short clip of Giraldo’s roast of Chevy Chase. Enjoy!

Here is Giraldo’s comedy album rated #1 by Punchline Magazine