Remembering Robert Schimmel

Its is with a heavy heart that I write this post. Comedian, Robert Schimmel died last night at the age of 60. He died because of injuries he sustained in a car accident. That's right, a car accident. I still am shocked when I write that. You see, Schimmel is, or was a cancer survivor. I first learned about Schimmel when he appeared on the Howard Stern Show back in 2000. He appeared on the show after talking about how he lost hiss son to cancer when he was 4 or 6. He made such an impression on me, and everyone on the radio that day that I started following his career. Later that year, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and began a crusade after radiation therapy to beat cancer and to continue touring, until "I beats" cancer. Everytime he came to southern Cali, he would do the orange county swing, and I would see his show at the Brea Improv, Irvine Improv, and the  Ontario Improv. I saw his act, and knew every joke before he started saying it. If you had told me to, I could have done his act. And when he updated his stories or altered them any way, it was an added bonus!

I was drawn to him, because he represented something to me. He was a fighter, fighting the fight my dad lost in 98. My dad died of lung cancer, and to me Schimmel was representing my dad and other cancer opponents (I detest the word victim). Robert's humor was dark, and even when it came to the how he was diagnosed he always said in his act, "my luck is so bad, I get diagnosed with lymphoma and it's not even the famous one, its Non-Hodgkin's."

Which brings us to today. Schimmel, after being cancer free for nearly 10 years, and after having three children after doctors told him he would not have any because of treatment, is dead. He died because more recently, his liver was dying, and he needed a transplant, and the injuries from the accident caused more complications, which led to his demise. I can only imagine what Schimmel would say about how he died. he always referred to not doing "risky" things in his act, because he always assumed he had a black cloud above him. It truly is a sad day for me and for all of comedy. Robert Schimmel is gone and no longer around to do the Orange County swing. I will never see him on stage again, and then after wards on the way out so I can pat him on the shoulder and say to him, "good job Bob, you killed!" So instead I will say it here. Good job, Bob, you not only killed every time I saw you live, but you did what you said you would do. You beat Cancer; it didn't beat you.

RIP ROBERT SCHIMMEL.

Here are just a few jokes that always brought laughter into my night!