Grew up watching his specials on VHS with my older sister. She got tickets to see him live for my 21st birthday. I ran in to him at the venue doors before the show, and told him it was my birthday gift to see him. He told me to come to the merchandise area in about a half hour. I did, and he gave me an autographed t-shirt, a 2-back hat, and took a picture with my sister and me! This was before smartphones, Facebook, etc. I have that picture blown up and framed in my home office. He was such a nice and warm guy to this fan. He will never be forgotten. Rest in peace Gallagher. 🙏

It's unfortunate that most ppl knew him as just a prop comic, he was really a legitimately good comedian

Went and saw him many times... he used to come out after every show and sign autographs and meet and greet everyone... no vip charge.. just did it... very nice guy

Another comedy legend gone. Rest In peace Gallagher 🙏🏿

Comedy genius. Glad we can still watch him. RIP

Wow, he even said a few things to Dave that no one else would.

That's the first time I've seen Gallagher without all the props, and he is very good just a comedian.

Man he was a straight up legend

RIP Gallagher. The first comic I ever saw in my life, and I got 2 minutes to talk to him at TSA in Las Vegas airport. He was very nice.

I always loved it when Letterman was had by his own guests!

Lucked out and got 4th row center seats with my wife 20 some years ago in my home town. Bought and put on Gallagher shirts as we came in the front doors that made excellent targets at the end of a wonderful show. Love that man, RIP. Couldn't understand why people bought prime Gallagher seats and plastic sheeting? Get other seats if you don't want the full Gallagher experience

Gallagher has always been my favorite comedian. I always preferred his comedy and jokes over smashing stuff. R.I.P. 😥

He was way ahead of his time. RIP.

RIP Gallagher 🪓🍉🍑🍊🥭🍍🍎🍏🍐🙏❤️

Grew up being entertained by Gallagher on cable! Simpler times, yet he was ahead of his time with some his jokes. 😢

Met him once he was kind of a wise ass but we shared a laugh , but man he was witty gonna miss him

Tampa native came to the big city and gave Dave some classic Floridian humor

There are those individuals, you see them, and you just laugh. It's not as though you are laughing to mock them or make fun of them, but you laugh and smile because the person is so cheerful.

He never failed to make me laugh. 🙏RIP

Gallagher had some classic specials on Showtime-Stuck in the 60s and The Maddest were awesome!

I wasn't allowed to stay up late enough to watch David Letterman when this aired... This guy was a really gifted comedian. He paved the way for guys like Carrot Top and other comedians that did physical comedy. He will be deeply missed.

It’s amazing how much Gallagher bears a strong resemblance to Johnny Depp at that age, but with less hair on top. RIP Gallagher.

one of my favorite guilty pleasures. RIP.

I grew up watching him. I loved him back then and still love him today. He is absolutely hilarious.

My son loved Gallagher as a child. This is a sad day.

Gallagher and Jeff Ross did a total kickbutt show in Salida CO a few years back and the highlight for me was getting an autographed tee shirt from Gallagher. RIP my friend.

RIP to a smart and talented performer.

I went to see him in Dallas at the Magestic in the '90s with my mom. So great to experience him live and watch the audience in the first few rows in their rain panchos anticipating the wake of the sledge-o-matic. But, his entire comedy set was always insanely brilliant!

RIP Sir Gallagher My Idol!!!🙏🙏🙏

Saw Gallagher @ Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore back in the 90's. Lucky enough to have seats in front and remember the first 10 rows or so of the velvet seats were covered with plastic and we were given cheap plastic raincoats. Still went home with watermelon 🍉 in my hair! What made the evening so memorable for me was being heckled by Gallagher because I had to go to the bathroom during his set. I was so embarrassed 😳!

always thought he was a novelty just from pop culture. he is toe-to-toe with dave here, impressive. another connection to the gems of the past i'd have otherwise missed, thanks to letterman

His earliest stand ups around 1980-83 were the best. People going to the show and sitting near the front sections with no protective covering were hilarious to watch

RIP Gallagher. Underrated comic

When I was 10 years old, Gallagher's Showtime specials were the funnies thing I had ever seen and likely haven't laughed nearly that much since.

Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr., known mononymously as Gallagher, was an American comedian who became one of the most recognizable comedic performers of the 1980s for his prop and observational routine that included the signature act of smashing a watermelon on stage with a wooden sledgehammer. Wikipedia Born: July 24, 1946, Fort Bragg, NC Died: November 11, 2022, Palm Desert, CA

I love that the commercial after the show was on hair loss

Rest in peace my friend

Wow, R.I.P Gallagher..😪

R.i.p. Gallagher a true comedy legend gone but at least I got to see during his early years at the star plaza best memories I will never ever forget for rest of days

Jason Lee could star in the Gallagher biopic

I believe that the reason people dump on him is because he wasn’t “supposed” to be huge. He wasn’t part of the cool club. His specials were huge sellers in the 80’s on vhs.

Bein' tough, workin' hard! ...Dave works hard, he can have a cigar break when guests are doin' their skit. R I P Gallagher, thanks for your career!

Watched him here in Panama City FL years ago

Hard to argue his logical observations.

Thanks Dave for giving me the opportunity to see the best prop comic use his best prop.

Grew up watching. He simply pointed out the obvious.

Published Nov. 11, 2022 Updated Nov. 14, 2022 Gallagher, who became one of the most recognizable comedians of the 1980s for an outrageous act that always concluded with him smashing a watermelon with a sledgehammer, died on Friday at his home in Palm Springs, Calif. He was 76. His death was confirmed by his longtime former manager, Craig Marquardo, who said the cause was organ failure after “numerous heart attacks” over the course of Mr. Gallagher’s life. The self-proclaimed “Wizard of Odd,” Gallagher - his first name was Leo, although for many years he refused to reveal it - said his job was to “yell at the world.” To the thousands of his front-row fans who were honored, or at least not visibly offended, by being splattered with cantaloupes, cottage cheese and all manner of other groceries, Mr. Gallagher offered himself as an exuberant release from life’s strains. In a 1984 interview with The Miami Herald, he spoke of people’s worries about money, family and responsibilities. “If you make fun of it, the people laugh,” he said. “They release the tension and are somehow healed - a bit.”

I saw him at the Fox Theatre in ATL in like 97 or 98 and it was fun as hell. He was a true bad ass and extremely unique.

He had several appearances on the 1979-80 game show "Make Me Laugh" and was participating in one of the best contestant segments ever. The video is on here.

Gallagher the comic that makes you say “Well, at least it’s not Carrot Top.”

In 1994, my boyfriend and I saw Gallagher at UW Oshkosh, WI. We THOUGHT we had seats just outside the splatter zone and laughed until our faces hurt! Then he pulled out the SLEDGE O MATIC! One of the things he smashashed was a can of sliced beets. Suddenly, I had a sliced beet sliding down the FRONT of my low-cut SHIRT!!! I was wiggling, trying to get it out but couldn't find it. After I told my boyfriend why I was wiggling around, he was more than happy to help me find it! Thanks Gallagher for the laughs, memories and the beet! (I won't hold that against you. I like beets and my shirt was black and didn't stain! 😂) 🤟🏻🤣

Gallagher could handle anybody. Been to numerous shows & he snuffed any & all hecklers...😆

Gallagher reminds me of the Spinal Tap not getting the headline over a puppet show.

RIP Gal

"Sold out all over the country and has no reason to plug anything" What a flex

In November 2023 I'm looking up Gallagher before Letterman.

I saw his show in person in 1980 in Santa Barbara, California when I was young. They were out of my size T-shirts for sale, so at the end part of the show when he let the audience ask questions, he called on me, and I asked him if I could please buy the T-shirt he was wearing, since it was a fundraiser.... ( He was wearing the same shirt that was for sale) -- He made a funny joke ( which I remembered for years, but have since forgotten)...Then he said sure, come up and see me after the show... When I went up on stage after the show, he took off his T-shirt and handed it to me for free.... I had that T-shirt ( with real Gallagher sweat ) for years until somebody stole it from me..... Very nice guy and fun memories. ❤❤❤

My God, that Conan joke was gold! 🤣

Gallagher, what a class act!! Stand up philosophers know what’s up…..has anything really changed that much?? 🤔 Watching George Carlin has had me thinking that a lot lately.

I always wondered what vegetables and fruit ever did to this guy!! He did make all of us laugh in the 80s though.

It's so sad that all I see right now is headlines saying 'watermelon smashing comedian' Gallagher has died. He had much more than just that one routine if anyone actually had watched his comedy.

I used to watch his comedy specials on cable as a kid. He was hilarious. God Speed Gallagher.

“Wearing one glove and singing beat it”💀

Funny how the Joker used a similar long-barreled one-shooter to shutdown the Batwing

I saw Gallagher Live in Ocean City Maryland at the Convention Center about 20 some years ago... It was a great time... He was really funny... Gallagher was a National Treasure!.....

It’s too bad it’s too late for Jason Lee to do a Gallagher biopic. During his Earl years all he needed was longer hair and he could’ve been Gallagher right down to the voice.

Forget the sledge-o-matic, his standup was awesome. He was severely underrated

Miles Teller should play him in a biopic

"I love you just the way you are" and then leaves her a week later.

Saw Gallagher in the round. SLEDGE-O-MATIC killed. 💥🔥😱🙈🙉🙊

Loved watching this guy as a kid. Now I go back and watch some KZfaq on him every once and a while. Cool as a cucumber this one was!!

David had no chance against Gallagher 😂

Almost 40 years ago. Man, I’m old.

Damnit. Why do I find out from this channel when people die? Sometimes you post random vids from celebs and I have to look up if they died or not. Sadly, this is one of them. Gallagher was awesome. RIP, buddy!

This man was a master…. The best!

Saw Gallagher live once and he pounded flat a bottle of mouthwash that had a $20 bill in it! It rocketed out into the audience and I scrambled for it. THANKS GALLAGHER NOBODY could top your act!

He made sense funny. Smarter than most people gave him credit for.

Absolutely no one is gonna point out that his suspenders have completely disappeared from his act? Go research any parodies or costumes of Gallagher 99% all suspenders

It's the Joker's gun.

Gallagher, Watermelon-Smashing Comedian, Is Dead at 76 He called himself “The Wizard of Odd” for his outrageous stage act, making him one of the most recognizable comedians of the 1980s.

"A true genius is a person most like himself." -Thelonius Monk Gallagher copied nobody; he was 100% original. RIP.

Who's watching this in 11/13/22?

Congrats on the smashing career

We saw him a few times here in Florida!

I rank Gallagher up there with the greatest. Along side Carlin. Both comedians were highly skilled at setting up a routine. Rip to both of them.

I always liked him...and his impish smile. 😏 Memory Eternal ☮️💟🫂🌬🌌🥀🕊

Gangster AF that man. Miss him.

My mama always used to say, "if you can't say anything nice..."

This guy's blunt, I like him.

Will be sadly missed. Can I have that sweatshirt, please?

I miss you G

Saw him twice. Got melon spatter once . Hell of a man

He was amazing

Crazy. We've politically corrected ourselves to the point that you don't see or hear fearless comedy like this anymore. RIP, Gallagher.

RIP Gallagher's sweat stains....

i remember him as a 14 yr old kid

Ohhh! Dave lost that one... Dont battle a guy who finds all the discrepancies in the English language. 😂

Yes, Gallagher really is gone. R.I.P.

Tough crowd. lol

Sold out across the country and ended up dead broke.