The comedy community is in shock after the death of a beloved comedian.
In a statement to Variety, Ricarlo Flanagan's representative announced that the actor, comedian, and rapper died over the weekend after acquiring coronavirus. Flanagan had been a semifinalist on Last Comic Standing. At the time of his death, he was 40 years old, according to the news source.
According to Stu Golfman of KMR Talent, who was Flanagan's agent, "Sadly, a pandemic has claimed the life of a gifted actor and all-around wonderful guy. Ricarlo's loss is palpable."
Man Law, Flanagan's debut comedy album, was released in 2013. Two years later, in 2015, he was selected as a Last Comic Standing semifinalist on NBC's comedy competition show for the second time. His career took off from there, with guest appearances on shows like Shameless and Walk the Prank (a Disney+ original series).
Many other shows had Flanagan as a guest star, such as The Mick, The Carmichael Show, Insecure, The Neighborhood, Mad About You, Kidding, and Room 104, among others.. Flanagan also secured his first film part with actress Aubrey Plaza in the drama Emily the Criminal just days before he passed away. In addition to his acting career, Father Flanagan had a successful rap career, releasing three albums as Father Flanagan, including Death of Davinchi in 2010, An Opus Inspired by Andre Martin in 2019 and Hope Your Proud in 2018. Both Sides of the Brain, his next album, was supposed to be released on October 13th. Flanagan's family has since put up a GoFundMe campaign to help with the financial burden of his premature death.
It's never easy to learn of the death of a loved one, even if you are far away from the person, according to the GoFundMe page. "Our beloved friend died tragically and unexpectedly, separated from his loved ones. Ricarlo Flanagan was a kind and caring son, grandchild, cousin, and nephew, as well as a good friend. Every room he entered was filled with laughter as a result of his presence. We want to get him back to Cleveland, Ohio, to be with his family one more time before he is laid to rest. Please keep his family in your prayers and in your thoughts."
Shameless’ Ricarlo Flanagan, 40, died as a result of a coronavirus infection.
