He was 'a fearless funny bastard'

American comic Otto Petersen, the creator of foul-mouthed puppet act Otto & George, died yesterday at the age of 53.

He reportedly passed away while taking a nap, and no cause of death has been revealed.

Jim Norton, co-host on the Opie and Anthony Show on which Petersen was a regular guest tweeted: ‘I am heartbroken to hear @OttoAndGeorge has died. He was so brilliantly funny. I really loved him.

Fellow comic Colin Quinn added: ‘Otto was a fearless funny bastard.’

Petersen performed for more than 30 years; though in his ‘ventriloquism’ act, he moved his lips, but adopted a loud, harsh voice for George as opposed to his own low, nervous voice.

Otto & George appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, The Howard Stern Show, and Penn & Teller's TV shows, performed several times at the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal, and delivered a version of the crude Aristocrats joke in the film of the same name.

Last year, Peteresen contracted bacterial meningitis and was placed in a medically-induced coma for several days. It is not known if this is connected to his death.

Published: 14 Apr 2014