Comedians Tweet Reactions to Dick Gregory’s Passing

at
Share This Post

Tonight, the comedy world mourns the passing of an icon. Dick Gregory passed away at the age of 84. After his family confirmed the death of the comedy legend and relentless civil rights activist, our social media feeds lit up with love, honor and respect for a man who took comedy and humanity very seriously. Gregory was a trailblazer in every sense of the word and tonight he is being remembered for his activism, his fearlessness and his incredible career. He broke the color barrier in comedy and on late night television, and fought to break it everywhere else throughout his life. He leaves behind a wealth of material including a 1964 autobiography that was the first of many books he’d author (including one due out this September) and a tremendous discography, spanning a time period of almost 60 years, including “You Don’t Know Dick” released just before his 83rd birthday last year.

His influence can be seen and felt in the reactions and commentary on social media tonight from his peers, and those inspired by his work and actions.

Earlier this month, a crowd of thousands had the privilege of attending a series of conversations lead by Kelly Carlin at the Chautauqua Institute during the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival.  In one of those conversations, comedy archivist Kliph Nesteroff spoke eloquently about Dick Gregory and his importance in the history of comedy. After learning of Gregory’s passing, Nesteroff began a series of tweets sharing moments, clippings and interviews from his life. It’s an extraordinary read, which you can find at @ClassicShowBiz on Twitter, and there are some excerpts from the feed below.

Scroll through these excerpted reactions to see Dick Gregory’s extensive influence on comedy today from the youngest to the most celebrated comedians performing today.

 

https://twitter.com/RobSchneider/status/899105447516532736

https://www.instagram.com/p/BX__o20AX4h/?taken-by=ericfuckingandre

https://twitter.com/ApocalypseHow/status/899147584744202241

https://twitter.com/roywoodjr/status/899100694573187073

https://twitter.com/therealroseanne/status/899106897218813957

https://twitter.com/therealroseanne/status/899101255892586497

https://twitter.com/tomsegura/status/899105843479683077

Read more comedy news.

Interrobang Staff

Interrobang Staff