Stand-up comedian dies onstage during gig
British stand-up comedian Ian Cognito has died on stage during a gig, with the audience believing it was part of his act.
Medics were called to a club in Bicester, southern England, on Thursday night (local time) and one patient died at the scene, South Central Ambulance Service said.
Police said the death was not suspicious.
Show organiser Andrew Bird told the BBC that when Cognito, 60, sat down and fell silent, “everyone in the crowd, me included, thought he was joking”.
Cognito, whose real name was Paul Barbieri, never achieved wide fame but was highly respected among fellow comedians.
Veteran stand-up comedian Ian Cognito has died on-stage – literally. The audience thought it was part of the act. Died with his boots on. That’s commitment to comedy. I’ll never forget his kindness when I started out & how god damn funny he was.
— Jimmy Carr (@jimmycarr) April 12, 2019
In shock at the news of Ian Cognito's sudden passing. He was always kind to me when I started out, and brilliant and provocative and entirely original onstage. What a loss.
— Matt Lucas (@RealMattLucas) April 12, 2019
Entertainer Jimmy Carr tweeted of Cognito’s onstage death: “That’s commitment to comedy. I’ll never forget his kindness when I started out & how god damn funny he was”.
Little Britain star Matt Lucas also paid tribute to Cognito.
“He was always kind to me when I started out, and brilliant and provocative and entirely original onstage. What a loss,” he tweeted.
Cognito won the Time Out Award for stand-up comedy in 1999.
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