John Mulrooney Has Died

John Mulrooney, a stand-up comedian and actor known for hosting Comic Strip Live on Fox, has died suddenly. He was 67.

The Brooklyn-born comedian died Monday at his home in Coxsackie, New York, the Albany Times-Union reported. No cause of death was initially reported.

Known for his improvisation and crowd work, Mulrooney told jokes on HBO, Showtime and the PBS show Comedy Tonight. He stepped in for Joan Rivers after she was fired from Fox’s The Late Show in 1987, and appeared as a guest host for The Pat Sajak Show on CBS.

He appeared on various TV shows like Ryder P.I., 1st and Ten, Ellen, Midtown North, The Good Life and Hardball, as well as the 1989 movie Great Balls of Fire. He also hosted radio programs in New York City, Cleveland and Albany, New York.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Mulrooney boxed in the amateur Golden Gloves competition and started his comedy career in the ’80s at the Pips nightclub in Sheepshead Bay.

He competed on Star Search before joining the show’s writers room, and was a featured comic on a 1994 Valentine’s Day pay-per-view special hosted by Andrew Dice Clay, who paid tribute to Mulrooney on social media following his death.

“He never gave up, he never stopped trying, which is what it’s all about in my book,” Clay wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. “Not everybody climbs to the top, and not everybody becomes a superstar. John was great, great comedian.”

Mulrooney performed for U.S. troops overseas, which his family said were “among his proudest moments, allowing him to give back to the men and women serving far from home and to bring moments of laughter and relief in challenging environments.”

After getting hired as a rookie police officer at age 52 in 2010 (and serving for 14 years), he began performing at fundraisers for police and fire departments across the country.

Comedian and radio host Steve Van Zandt, who became close friends with Mulrooney after they became office neighbors and post-work breakfast companions working their radio jobs, told the Times Union he was “just stunned” to learn of Mulrooney’s death.

“To talk to somebody less than two weeks ago, and he had mentioned what he was doing for Christmas, and he was looking forward to 2026 because he had a pretty full calendar … It’s all so unexpected. It’s still sinking in.”

Mulrooney’s family said that he “will be remembered as much for being a loyal friend to countless people as for the laughter he brought to a multitude of strangers. His voice, his stories and his spirit will continue to echo in the lives of those he touched.”