January 17, 1949 - May 16, 1984

Andy Kaufman, the King of Comedy's wise antics and crazy schemes will forever be etched in the minds of fans and Americans forever. Kaufman never considered himself a comedian. Having preferred being introduced as "Song and Dance Man", Andy strove for genuine reactions. He thought that being introduced as a comedian put pressure on the audience to laugh. Sometimes they didn't laugh and that's the way that he wanted it. He felt that people should laugh from the gut, be sad from the gut, and become angry from the gut.  

Nobody could or would put a label on him because he was more than just a song and dance man. Some call him a performance artist. Andy didn't tell jokes, he explored ideas. At any given moment in time he could be a his invisible twin brother Dhrupick, a wrestler, a comic, Elvis Presley, an immigrant, a folk singer, Tony Clifton, an evangelist, Nathan Richards, a fakir, Tony Piccinnini, a magician, Nathan McCoy, a robot butler, a provocateur, or a spy.

Many dismissed Andy as eccentric. His refusal to break character and to let the audience in on the joke pushed his art over the edge. His performances were more traditional theater than stand up comedy. Even off stage, Andy pushed the limits of reality over the edge. Many casual onlookers found it difficult to understand the real Andy Kaufman.

Yes - Despite what you have heard, he is gone. Andy did leave us on May 16, 1984. Almost seventeen years later, his legacy still lives on.