Otto Petersen (1960 – 2014)

It was just announced on SiriusXM’s Opie and Anthony Show that comedian Otto Petersen of the famed comedy duo Otto and George has passed away. Petersen had been a long time friend and frequent guest of the show.  No details have been released yet but we join everyone in the comedy community mourning this sad and sudden loss. Otto was an outstanding comedian, and on a personal note, he was becoming a regular contributor to the interrobang.  Earlier this year he reached out to us asking to write stories for us, and submitted two  this year.  The first, about his favorite movies,  which was published on March 17, 2014, “Otto Petersen Picks 1974 as the Greatest Year in Film” and one on “The Comedian Who Changed My Life” which we will publish later today, and we were looking forward to working with him more.   He also recently sent us this photo, and let us know that he still had the derby, although it was somewhat beat up by now.

Rest peacefully Otto, you were an outstanding  comedian, an excellent writer, a comedy historian on many levels, and so much more.  You are already missed.

We posted this story back in September 2012, after his August UNMASKED with Ron Bennington.  “Shut Up George, It’s Otto’s Turn”  It’s a fantastic interview where Otto tells stories about  some of the encounters he had while coming up in the business.  His life was extraordinary, and his stories about starting out are some of the best you’ll hear anywhere.

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