Comic Mitch Hedberg, a St. Paul native, died Wednesday at age 37. Newspaper and online reports prompted a flood of e-mails from friends and fans. Here are a few of the comments, which came from all across the United States. For more, go to www.twincities.com
Visitation for Hedberg is from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Woodbury Funeral Chapel, 2195 Woodlane Drive, Woodbury. Visitation continues an hour before services 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, 4125 Woodbury Drive, Woodbury. Burial will be private.
"I had the fortune of working with Mitch last May at the Improv in Brea, Calif. While most headliners fret over how long the opening act is on stage, Mitch asked the club to let me do more time. He paid for a hotel room so I wouldn't have to drive back to Los Angeles after the late show. He also called me to congratulate me when I had some success last summer. He was a kind, generous man in a business which often rewards the opposite.
"As a comedian he was in another realm. Steven Wright is a well-known and brilliant performer of one-liners like Mitch. I think most of us who saw him would agree that Mitch took that genre to another level. I will miss him terribly."
"Mitch was one of the very few comedians that could truly put me in tears with laughter. And apart from that, he seemed like such a gentle, fun and warm person when he was on stage … a sort of enigma who could always put a smile on my face. I am devastated to hear of his passing, and will miss him as I would my closest friends."
"Mitch was a great guy. He made me laugh since the first day I met him, which was years ago, and I listened to him the last few times he was at Sirius Studios in New York. I just can't believe he is gone. We both graduated from the same high school."
"He was one of the best comedians I've ever seen, and I'll always be in awe of his brilliant and hilarious ideas."
"I've enjoyed Mitch's comedy for several years, I was excited for the more recent notoriety he was gaining. It was a terrible loss and right when he appeared to be at the top of his game."
"This is a tragedy, I loved Mitch's material, as it was often a staple of conversation at family as well as college parties."
"My friends and I always quote his jokes, and we named our fantasy football teams after his punchlines. The guy was a genius, and we loved him. I think he loved us, too."
"Just last Monday, I was at the dentist's office and got to use a Mitch joke on the unsuspecting doctor. 'I was going to get my teeth whitened, but I decided to get a tan, instead.'" Of course, I thought it was hilarious, and the look on the dentist's face was priceless."
"He was the only guy who could make Ritz crackers funny. He now joins John Belushi, Sam Kinison and Chris Farley as a comic genius whose time on this earth was too short. Must be one hell of a party up there though!"
"We saw him here in Houston at the Laugh Stop. By the end of the night, my cheeks, my jaw, and my ribs were killing me. I've never laughed that hard in my life."
"I am shocked at how much this news hurts. Like he was a part of our family. What a pleasure it was to see him at a show. He was wittifully smart and absolutely hilarious without being mean. Thank goodness we still have his CDs, which we can listen to forever."
