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Comic and LGBTQ+ ally Judy Tenuta dies at 72
2022-10-07
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This article shared 1425 times since Fri Oct 7, 2022
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Judy Tenuta—an unconventional stand-up comic who often played the accordion and who guested on numerous TV shows and appeared in two "Weird" Al Yankovic videos—died Oct. 6 of ovarian cancer in Studio City, California at age 72, Deadline reported.
Born on Nov. 7, 1949, in Oak Park, Illinois, Tenuta took an improv comedy class with the Chicago improv group The Second City and shortly after began opening for other comedians in Chicago throughout the '70s.
By the '90s, Tenuta had several specials on HBO, Showtime and Lifetime and performed stand-up on such TV shows as Late Night with David Letterman, One Night Stand, The Sunday Comics, The Pat Sajak Show, Comics Unleashed, The Dennis Miller Show, Gotham Comedy Live, An Evening at the Improv and others.
Also, Tenuta was an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and had quite a following in the LGBTQ+ community. During the early years of her career, Tenuta frequently performed at gay bars and clubs around Chicago, performed at and appeared as a grand marshal for Pride festivals, and even became ordained as a minister to officiate same-sex marriages.
Survivors include her life partner, Vern Pang; five brothers; and a sister, The Advocate noted.
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This article shared 1425 times since Fri Oct 7, 2022
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