Comedian Patrice O’Neal dies at age 41

Posted by Chris Spags on November 29th, 2011 at 12:50 pm

Comedian Patrice O’Neal — best known for stand-up specials on Comedy Central, stints on The Office and Arrested Development, and his contributions to Sirius XM’s Opie and Anthony Show — passed away today after suffering a stroke in October 2011.

O’Neal’s passing was announced by friend Gregg “Opie” Hughes on Twitter this afternoon. O’Neal was a frequent contributor to the Sirius XM host’s Opie and Anthony show for almost a decade. The show previously broke the news of O’Neal’s stroke with many of the comic’s friends — including Jim Norton, Colin Quinn, and Rich Vos — in studio.

O’Neal is survived by his wife, Von.

O’Neal appeared on TV most recently for Comedy Central’s Roast of Charlie Sheen. He also released a stand-up special in February this year for the network entitled Elephant in the Room (available to view instantly on Netflix).

O’Neal’s biggest credits in mainstream entertainment included guest roles on TV hits Arrested Development The Office as well as a part in 2002 Spike Lee film 25th Hour. He also hosted VH1 show Web Junk in 2006.

O’Neal also played a significant role in Comedy Central’s panel show Tough Crowd during it’s two-year run from 2003-04. Take a look at Patrice’s great comedic contributions to the before-its-time show in this clip:

--- Did you like this article? And you probably like contests, exclusive content, and smug commentary right? Then why aren't you liking Guyism on Facebook? Show some pride and click the "Like" button below right now:

Chris Spags "Internet Heartthrob" Chris Spags is a former comic and the founding editor of Guyism.com. In addition to overseeing all Guyism content and business development, he covers Humor for the site daily. He was recognized on the street once and it was awesome.