- Mike DeStefano
-
Mike DeStefano Born November 29, 1966
The Bronx, New York, U.S.Died March 6, 2011 (aged 43)
New York City, New York, U.S.Medium stand-up Nationality American Years active 2000–2011 Website mikedestefano.com Mike DeStefano (November 29, 1966[1][2][3][4] – March 6, 2011) was an American stand-up comedian. He used material from his heroin addiction, which began at age 15, and his recovery in brutally honest, profanity-laced routines. He also was a drug counselor to others. He had been clean for 11 years at the time of his death and was HIV positive. He died as a result of a heart attack.
His first gig was in Florida and convinced him there was something to live for, and he had options outside of taking his own life. His second gig was at a Narcotics Anonymous convention in Atlanta, Georgia, where he stepped before the microphone after a rained-out pool party and started ranting about drugs.[5]
A regular at clubs in New York and around the country, DeStefano gained popularity after appearing on television on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham. He also appeared on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Showtime's Whiteboyz in the Hood and other radio and television shows, and at popular comedy festivals, most notably US Comedy Arts Festival and Montreal's Just for Laughs festival. In 2010, he competed in the seventh season of NBC's Last Comic Standing and finished in fourth place.[5][6]
On October 9, 2010 DeStefano appeared with Jim Norton, Rich Vos and Robert Kelly in the Comedy Central stand-up special "Comics Anonymous"; all four comedians appearing in the special were former addicts who had been clean and sober for 10 years or more. DeStefano was also an executive producer on the special, which was dedicated to their friend, comedian Greg Giraldo, who had died of a drug overdose earlier that year.
DeStefano's death came just days before he was scheduled to perform his one-man show, "A Cherry Tree in the Bronx", in New York. He had just finished a run of shows titled "Drugs, Disease and Death: A Comedy", which was largely based on being HIV positive, his past drug addiction and his wife Fran's death several years ago after her drug addiction and affliction with AIDS.[6][7]
Discography
- 2010: OK Karma - released on Stand Up! Records comedy label
References
- ^ "Comedian Mike DeStefano dead at 44". United Press International, Inc. 8 March 2011. http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2011/03/08/Comedian-Mike-DeStefano-dead-at-44/UPI-57891299612845/. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ Dinh, James (7 March 2011). "'Last Comic Standing' Finalist Mike DeStefano Dead At 44". MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659397/mike-destefano-dead.jhtml. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ Baldwin, Stephen (7 March 2011). "Comedian Mike DeStefano dead at 44". National Post. http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/03/07/comedian-mike-destefano-dead-at-44/. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ Eadicicco, Lisa (7 March 2011). "Mike DeStefano, 'Last Comic Standing' finalist, dead at 44 from heart attack". NYDailyNews.com. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/mike-destefano-comic-standing-finalist-dead-44-heart-attack-article-1.122805. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ a b Hevesi, Dennis (8 March 2011). "Mike DeStefano, Stand-Up Comic, Is Dead". The New York Times (The New York Times Company): p. A20. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/arts/mike-destefano-stand-up-comedian-is-dead.html. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ a b Today Staff and Wire (7 March 2011). "Comedian Mike DeStefano dies". MSNBC Interactive. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41952871/ns/today-entertainment/#.Tq9kIbKa9Kk. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ Shira, Dahvi (7 March 2011). "Mike DeStefano Dies". People. Time Inc. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20471662,00.html. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
External links
Categories:- 2011 deaths
- Actors from New York City
- American comedians
- American people of Italian descent
- American stand-up comedians
- Deaths from heart failure
- Deaths from AIDS-related illness
- People self-identifying as substance abusers
- People from the Bronx
- People from New York City
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