Saturday, September 04, 2010

Great Comic Robert Schimmel Dies From Auto Accident Injuries


Robert Schimmel, 60, the great comic whose parents were both Jewish survivors of the Holocaust has died the injuries he received from a serious auto accident in Arizona last week. Schimmel's 19 year old daughter was driving the car and swerved to avoid a sudden freeway accident and lost control and the car rolled multiple times. The car landed on it's side. Schimmel was a passenger along with his 11 year old son. The son was released from the hospital last Thursday with no serious injuries present.


Schimmel, who came from the Bronx, served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. He survived a number of very serious health issues starting in 1998 including a heart attack and cancer in 2000. In a 2010 appearance on the Howard Stern Show, Schimmel disclosed that he contracted Hepatitis C from an old transfusion during his military service days. He eventually developed liver disease and was on a waiting list for a liver transplant. Schimmel divorced in 2009 from his wife after a major incident that resulted in his arrest.


Schimmel was popular comic who was a fan of Lenny Bruce. On Conan O'Brien's show and HOLLYWOOD SQUARES he made some inappropriate humor that wasn't well received by the producers of the show. But Schimmel was always funny. His sometimes half angry nearly ranting style of joke telling was pretty hilarious. He was a very great comic, a real legend.


Schimmel will be greatly missed. His unique style and his brand of humor made him a true successor to the old new wave comedy style invented by Lenny Bruce. Schimmel successfully crafted humor about the pain and suffering in his own life in a routine where you felt empathy for him and a type of kinship with his jokes. In his own way, you could see a warm human being under this hard exterior. He was so darn good. A great entertainer.