Lawyer-Turned-Comedian Greg Giraldo Dies at 44
Giraldo was a regular on late-night talk shows and celebrity roasts.
Greg Giraldo, who left a career as a lawyer to become a comedian and went on to achieve success on the standup circuit and on television, died September 29, 2010, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He was 44.
According to news reports, Giraldo was admitted to the hospital four days ago following an accidental overdose of prescription medication.
Known to primetime viewers as a judge on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Giraldo also made regular appearances on late-night talk shows and Comedy Central’s celebrity roasts. He was a frequent guest on The Howard Stern Show as well.
Known for his sharp observational humor and often scorching rants, Giraldo was a favorite of other comics, including Jim Norton, Sarah Silverman, Louis C.K. and many others.
He was born in New York City in 1965 and earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a law degree from Harvard. Prior to committing himself to comedy, he worked at the Manhattan law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
As he rose on the comedy circuit, he scored bookings on television talk shows, including Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live.
In 1996, drawing on his own experience, he played an attorney in the short-lived ABC comedy Common Law, which was canceled after four episodes. He also performed on the Comedy Central programs Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and Root of All Evil, and last season he was a guest on the NBC series The Marriage Ref.
Giraldo was divorced with three children.