Jeni canceled Chicago dates before death
By Terry Armour
Published March 13, 2007
Comedian Richard Jeni was to appear at the Improv in Schaumburg over the weekend. But a week before his scheduled appearances, Jeni contacted the club to cancel the Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday shows.
Jeni died on Saturday in West Hollywood of a gunshot wound to the head. As of Monday evening, police had yet to confirm the shooting was a suicide.
Friends have said that Jeni, 49, battled depression. The Improv's Tony Baldino said that while Jeni didn't give a specific reason for canceling his Schaumburg shows, he did hint at personal problems when he phoned Improv co-owner Robert Hartmann.
"He called us and just said he wasn't going to make it," Baldino said. "At the time, he did not want to leave his house and make the trip. We knew it was a problem at that point. For the past few months he hasn't been feeling good, as far as his career was concerned. In the '90s, he was a hot commodity."
Jeni first gained national attention with his 1990 Showtime special "Richard Jeni: Boy From New York City."
He recently appeared in the film "The Aristocrats" and had a guest appearance on "Everybody Hates Chris," which is written and narrated by his good friend Chris Rock. Jeni also wrote material for Rock when Rock hosted the 2005 Academy Awards.
"Whenever we booked him, we knew we were going to get a solid show," Baldino said. "Whenever we lose somebody like this, it makes us stop and think."
another tragic comic....
