American stand-up dies at 60

Tributes have been paid to American comedian Kevin Meaney, who has died at the age of 60.

He was found dead in his home in Forestburgh in upstate New York, his agent confirmed

The comedy world united to praise him as one of the good guys, with Patton Oswalt, Judd Apatow and Paul Provenza among those paying their respects.

'Kevin Meaney was as funny as they get and the nicest man' Apatow tweeted. 'He could make you lose your mind laughing.'

Oswalt said: 'Always thought Kevin Meaney was a brilliant comedian. Then we hung out in Ireland and I found out he was also a terrific person. RIP.'

Meaney had been a stand-up for more than 35 years, with his first HBO special airing in 1986. A signature bit was to tell bad joke and sing: 'I don't care' when they bombed.

A regular on the late-night talk show circuit he also took the title role in the 1990 sitcom version of Uncle Buck and appeared in the Tom Hanks film Big. He was also in the Broadway musical Hairspray for seven years, during which time he came out as gay.

Bobcat Goldthwait added: 'Kevin Meaney was sweet, hilarious and courageous. A silly, wonderful, man. The best. My heart goes out to his fans, friends and family.

And Provenza tweeted: 'Deeply saddened to hear of the death of an old, hilarious friend, @KevinMeaney. A good man and a brilliantly funny comic. #RIPKevinMeaney.'

Here he is on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1989:

And here he is on stage in 2014:

Published: 22 Oct 2016