Comedian Brody Stevens Dead at 48

Comedian Brody Stevens died Friday afternoon in Los Angeles at age 48. His death is being [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Comedian Brody Stevens died Friday afternoon in Los Angeles at age 48. His death is being investigated as a suicide by hanging.

Sources close to the investigation told The Blast he was found dead just before 1 p.m. local time. The Los Angeles Police Department is still on the scene and investigators are speaking with his family.

Stevens was a popular comedian on the Los Angeles stand-up scene, regularly performing at several clubs around the city, including the Comedy Store.

Stevens was born in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. He began trying stand-up in Los Angeles before finding success in Seattle and New York City. He later moved back to Los Angeles, making it the base for his career. During his shows, he would often pay tribute to his home, telling audiences he was "818 till I die!"

The comedian appeared on several shows, including Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Conan, Comedy Bang! Bang! and Kroll Show. He also regularly appeared on Chelsea Lately.

Comedy Central also released a special featuring Stevens in 2013. In 2011, he produced HBO's Brody Stevens: Enjoy It!, a documentary series that was later expanded as a Comedy Central show.

Stevens was also famous as a warm-up comedian before show tapings in Los Angeles.

In a 2015 interview with AZCentral, Stevens admitted his career path was unique. Before setting his sights on comedy, he pitched in college.

"I feel my path is a little more unique, but you have to believe that your own personal path is correct," Stevens explained. "You can't compare. I'm lucky I did sports, I'm lucky I did warm up and I'm lucky to get the spots I get around the country. I think at a certain point you create your own luck, but you have to put in the work. There is no shortcut. You can watch all the comics you want, but you have to push out there and sink or swim."

Stevens was open about his own battles with depression and the darkest moments of his life. In 2011, he suffered a public breakdown that played out on Twitter and spent 17 days at a psychiatric ward at UCLA. During an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2013, Stevens said his say in the hospital was real as seen on Enjoy It! was real.

"If you are depressed or feeling suicidal please please please please please reach out to ANYONE," comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted. "I never get to see Brody Stevens again I can't stand this."

If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255.

Photo credit: Mathew Imaging/WireImage/Getty Images

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