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Comedian Robert Schimmel.
Published Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010 | 9:50 a.m.
Updated Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010 | 2:05 p.m.
Robert Schimmel.
Robert Schimmel, who performed often in Las Vegas clubs and theaters and frequently referred to his recovery from cancer in his unvarnished stand-up act, died Friday night from injuries he suffered Thursday after a car accident near his home in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was a passenger in the vehicle with his 19-year-old daughter, Aliyah. He was 60.
Schimmel's publicist, Howard Bragman, confirmed to media outlets that Schimmel died Friday night in Phoenix. A colleague of Schimmel's, longtime Vegas comic and "Sin City Comedy" at V Theater proprietor John Padon, said Friday night that news of Schimmel's death was spreading quickly around stunned comics across the country.
According to reports, Schimmel was a passenger in the car. The Schimmels swerved to avoid another car and rolled to the side of the freeway. Schimmel's daughter is in stable condition. Schimmel's 11-year-old son also was reportedly in the car but was released from a hospital the same day.
Schimmel was a frequent performer in Las Vegas, most recently appearing at the Riviera in January. He also performed at the Lance Burton Theater at the Monte Carlo and had appeared at the AVN Awards at the Palms.
Schimmel long had endured health problems. He suffered a heart attack in 1998 and in 2000 was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He chronicled his battle with the disease in a 2008 memoir, "Cancer on Five Dollars a Day* (*chemo not included): How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life." In his stand-up act, Schimmel joked about how doctors tossed his prosthetic testicle around the operating room before performing surgery to implant the device. "C'mon, doc! Gimme a break!" he said. "I'll do the jokes here!"
Earlier this year, Schimmel revealed that he had cirrhosis of the liver caused by a blood transfusion tainted with hepatitis C that he received while in the Air Force.
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Tough break. He was a funny guy. Say a prayer for his family.
Wow... very sad. Saw him perform at The Monte Carlo and was a VERY funny guy. After all his has been through to go out like that.. I feel bad for his daughter..
Tragic, very sad.
I wish his daughter all the best. I hope she is able to heal on all fronts.
I think Robert was one of the best and funniest comedians I have ever listened to!
I am thankful that his children are safe!
My prayers and blessings for his family!
Rest in Peace Robert!
Tragic. He was awesome; unlike any other. Even through the cancer he had a wonderful outlook on life.
Also, I would like to send prayers to his kids but especially his daughter. I really hope she isn't too hard on herself about the accident.
great comic; condolences to the family and hope the daughter heals quickly.
After one of Robert Schimmel's shows, while I was waiting for him to autograph one of his DVDs, I overheard him giving advice to someone with the same medical issues as he. "So many people are so focused on getting to their goal of surviving that they don't take the time to do things and notice what is around them", he says
Mr.Schimmel will be missed and I'm sure never forgotten. My condolences to his family.
Funny, funny guy. I watched his special on cable and was cracking up, especially the bit about his prosthetic testicle! His comedic outlook when battling cancer was amazing. He would also visit local cancer clinics when visiting various towns (including Vegas) and dontate cd/dvd and cd/dvd players to the patients. I hope that his daughter and son can overcome this tragedy.