Last laugh

A little bitty tear let me down,
Spoiled my act as a clown.
I had it made up
Not to make a frown,
But a little bitty tear let me down.

***

I have this weird thing about stand-up comedians: I hold my breath for fear they’ll bomb. After seeing more than a few flops on Carson, Letterman or Leno, I came to expect the worse as each took the microphone.

In the 90s, I went to Characters, a comedy club in Greenville, S.C., and heard a funny comedian, and he’s still getting laughs – Jeff Foxworthy.

But, that was a rarity, and when a young friend inquired why I didn’t like Comedy Central standups, I had to tell her, “They make me nervous!”

One night a few years back I stumbled across two 30-minute comedy specials, and when they were over I called my son Ladd to tell him I had found a comedian who made me laugh out loud – Richard Jeni. “One of my favorites,” he said.

***

"I think that's how Chicago got started. A bunch of people in New York said, 'Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west.' “

"It is a sad fact that 50 percent of marriages in this country end in divorce. But, hey, the other half end in death. You could be one of the lucky ones!"

***

What a rare talent to make others laugh, full belly laughs born of joy and the appreciation of sharp wit.

Richard Jeni died Sunday – an apparent suicide from a gunshot wound.

His work and the laughter will live on in CDs and films and hearts he made happy.

At the Pearly Gates may he hear, “Send in the clowns … there ought to be clowns.”

Jeni obituary: LINK