A sudden passing has rocked the world of standup comedy on Christmas Eve. News broke late Saturday night that comedian Neel Nanda had passed away. Friends and fans first spotted word of Nanda’s passing via post from comedy clubs such as The Port in Baltimore, Maryland. News outlets including The Daily Mail and Deadline soon picked up the story on Sunday, sparking reactions from fellow comedians and friends.
Nanda’s cause of death has not been released to the public as of press time, but his manager did confirm his passing to Deadline. The representative, Greg Weiss, described the loss as shocking.
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“I [am] deeply shocked and saddened by this. Weiss told Deadline. “He was a wonderful comic, but a better person. He had the world in front of him.”
Nanda, who had tour dates booked for January and February, was best known to comedy audiences for his TV appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) and Adam Devine’s House Party (Comedy Central). He also boasted a solid fan following on Instagram, where he shared his work with more than 100,000 followers.
Matt Rife posted a tribute to Nanda on X, writing, “you were one of the nicest, hardest working comedians I’ve ever called a friend and i hope you can be at peace brother.”
Actor Spencer Breslin shared that he was “absolutely beside” himself over Nanda’s death, noting he considered the late comic “a very good friend.”
“Truly one of the funniest people I ever knew,” the Santa Clause 2 star wrote. “Do yourself a favor and check out some of his comedy. What a huge loss. Rest easy, my guy.”
There were allusions in tributes to Nanda — notably those from Dane Cook and Taylor Williamson — that his cause of death was suicide. However, Williamson amended his tribute with a note that Nanda’s family “is asking us not to jump to conclusions for how he passed.”
