Shot in apparent suicide

Unconfirmed internet reports say the 45-year-old comic killed himself because of ‘seemingly intractable medical problems’, and that a loaded gun was found by his body.

Los Angeles Police said they responded to a call from a woman Saturday morning who said: 'My boyfriend shot himself in the face.'

Police found him alive but gravely injured and took him to a hospital near his a West Hollywood home, where he died sometime later from his injuries.

The Brooklyn-born comic was named as one of Comedy Central's Top 100 Comedians of All Time, and claimed to have appeared on the Tonight Show, now hosted by Jay Leno, more than any other comic.

He made several stand-up specials, appeared in the Jim Carrey movie The Mask and was a regular on The Chris Rock Show.

Jeni had been scheduled to appear at The Improv club in Chicago this weekend, but had cancelled the gigs.

On his website, which has been taken down, he once wrote: ‘Somebody said a guy becomes a comedian the way a girl becomes a hooker. You start out doing it for a few close friends, then you move onto larger groups, then you figure, hey, I might as well get paid for it.

‘I think I'd always had an aspiring comedian inside me, but I was having a tough time selling my logical middle-class brain on such a long-shot. Instead of giving up, I arranged to blatantly screw-up every other job until I was in desperate shape and even my conservative brain could agree there was nothing to lose. It was the long way around, but it got me where I belong.’

Here are some clips of Jeni's stand-up:

Published: 11 Mar 2007