'Funniest Man in America' Dies After 'Cardiac Complications': James Gregory Was 78

He was known to fans as the 'Funniest Man in America.'

By Ashley Turner

Comedian James Gregory, Jr. passed away on Wednesday at age 78. Gregory, who was known to fans as the "Funniest Man in America" since the 1980s, died as a result of cardiac complications.

A post was published on Gregory's official Facebook page in tribute to the performer, reading, "Today, with heavy hearts, we announce the passing of the Funniest Man in America, comedian James Gregory. He brought laughter and joy to countless lives, leaving an indelible mark on the world of comedy and those who loved him.

"James' three nieces who referred to him as 'Uncle Bubba,' Martha Anne, Mary Jane, and Candie, along with their families, were instrumental in caring for him through his last days and weeks. The family asks for privacy at this time."

According to his official obituary, Gregory "was born in his parents' kitchen in tiny Lithonia, Georgia on the afternoon of May 6, 1946." As the first member of his family to graduate high school, he had worked for a small grocery since he was 11. As a teenager, he took the civil service test to work for the US Postal Service. 

Within weeks of joining the Marines, he was sidelined due to health problems. Upon entering sales, Gregory worked solely on commission. "It was a turning point in my life," he said. "I would never again be anybody's full-time employee."

It was in 1981 that James, at the age of 36, responded to an advertisement for a comedy night in the basement of an Atlanta-area restaurant called Excelsior Mill. Within a year, he was the first performer at Atlanta's Punchline comedy club. He quickly rose to headliner status during the 1980s comedy boom.

Due to his deep Georgia accent, he was often referred to as the "southern" comedian, but "he worked frequently across North America doing what he called 'down home, common sense' humor." In the early days of nightclub comedy, it was also uncommon for him to treat comedy as a professional business venture. He wrote in his forthcoming autobiography, "You're not just my audience. You're my customers." In the following decades, thousands of comedians would copy his trailblazing efforts in marketing, business, and merchandise.

A popular comedian in the southeastern United States, Gregory worked in comedy clubs and theaters, especially in smaller towns near major cities. As he observed in professional wrestling, people would often come out for a local show instead of driving into the city to see him, a strategy he adopted.

He also appeared on various local and syndicated radio stations, making thousands of appearances. He declined to appear on The Tonight Show when he refused to "speed up" his delivery and instead became one of the most frequent Nashville Network guests ever. While he didn't mention it much publicly, James was friends with George Jones, "Whispering Bill" Anderson, and Ray Stevens, some of country music's biggest names.

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Toward the end of his life, he completed work on his first and only autobiography, A Bushel of Beans and a Peck of Tomatoes: The Life and Times of "The Funniest Man in America." It is scheduled to be published in November 2024.

Arrangements for funeral services are pending. Followers have been advised to monitor James' social media pages to receive official updates from his family and management.

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