Veteran comedian Perry Kurtz has passed away at the age of 73 after a hit-and-run incident on Thursday, August 15th.
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The collision occurred around 11:20 p.m. Thursday on the 19500 block of Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana, Los Angeles. According to police reports, Kurtz was crossing the street outside of a designated crosswalk when a vehicle struck him.
Eighteen-year-old Nathon Jaimes from Reseda was arrested at his home on suspicion of felony hit-and-run resulting in death, according to KTLA.
According to witnesses, Kurtz performed at a nearby restaurant every Thursday in the vicinity of the crash.
In the 1980s, he was a regular headliner at Dangerfield’s, a venue named after the renowned comedy star Rodney Dangerfield. He also performed at the Comedy Store, the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club, the Hollywood Pantages Theater, and various other locations. He shared a close bond with Robin Williams, often opening for him until Williams’ passing in 2014.
Kurtz Made an Infamous ‘America’s Got Talent’ Appearance
Perry had a somewhat infamous appearance on season 8 of America’s Got Talent. He performed a rap about judges Heidi Klum, Howard Stern, and Mel B. He was instantly voted off, with Stern delivering several barbs at Perry’s expense.
“Howard had prewritten mean jokes, to which I heckled him back and got laughs from the crowd,” Kurtz wrote in a YouTube caption of the appearance. “They gave me no mic stand, strange music, and shut my mic off to 2/3 of the audience when I started to sing, THEN told the crowd to stand up and boo me. Welcome to reality TV.”
A much more positive TV appearance for Perry happened on The Late Late Show with James Corden back in 2018. The comedian played “Louie, Louie” on the keytar in a bar trick competition.
Corden quipped that he was worried Perry would be playing the dorky instrument with his private parts. “I’d need a bigger keytar,” Perry shot back, to the delight of Corden and the crowd.
“James is the nicest guy EVER”, Perry wrote in the caption to his YouTube post of the clip.
Perry Kurtz Also Guest Starred on Surprising TV Shows
In recent years, Kurtz also made appearances on daytime TV, such as the below clip of the comedian charming Let’s Make a Deal host, Wayne Brady.
However, the most popular clip featured on Perry’s YouTube channel was a 1985 appearance on Love Connection. Spoiler: His self-deprecating humor helped him land the date.
His YouTube channel had nearly 2,000 followers and remained active until his tragic death, with his last video uploaded just five days earlier. In that three-minute clip, Kurtz performed “I’ll Always Remember Us This Way” at The Barrel Tavern in Sherman Oaks, California.
Kurtz’s daughter has established a GoFundMe page to assist her family with funeral expenses. As of this writing, the campaign has raised $2,660 toward its $5,000 goal.