John Mulrooney, a Brooklyn-born stand-up comedian and late-night host, has died. He was 67.
Mulrooney died “suddenly” at his home in Coxsackie, New York, on Monday, Dec. 29, the Albany Times Union reports. No cause of death was cited.
According to an official obituary, Mulrooney began his comedy career in the 1980s, later becoming a staple both in his local stand-up scene and across the country. Performing at iconic venues like the Improv, the Comic Strip and the Laugh Factory, Mulroney was known for his boisterous style and lengthy resume.
Taking his success on the club circuit to Hollywood, Mulroney went on to host several nationally syndicated television shows, including “Comedy Tonight,” “The Late Show” and “Comic Strip Live.” His work appeared on HBO, Showtime, A&E and Comedy Central and he played Jack Paar in the 1989 musical “Great Balls of Fire!”
Not one to discriminate against medium, Mulrooney also took his talents to the radio, cohosting morning and afternoon shows in Albany, New York, Cleveland and New York City. As a second act, he pivoted to law enforcement, working as a police officer from 2010 to 2024.
“John Mulrooney will be remembered as much for being a loyal friend to countless people as for the laughter he brought to a multitude of strangers,” the obituary for the comic reads. “His voice, his stories and his spirit will continue to echo in the lives of those he touched.”
“Johnny was tall, good looking, an ex-boxer … he also had the ingredients… The discipline to get up there every night, the drive, the want and willing to go through whatever it had to be to claw his way to the top,” comedian Andrew Dice Clay wrote in a tribute to Mulrooney on Facebook. “He never gave up, he never stopped trying, which is what it’s all about in my book. Not everybody climbs to the top, and not everybody becomes a superstar. John was a great, great comedian, John was a pilot, a boxer, he became a police officer for like the last 25 years on top of doing stand-up comedy.”
