Comedian and activist Barry Crimins has died, only a month after revealing on Twitter he had been diagnosed with cancer. He was 64. His wife Helen shared the sad news earlier today:
Helen here with sad news…Barry passed peacefully yesterday with Bobcat and I. He would want everyone to know that he cared deeply about mankind and wants you to carry on the good fight. Peace.
— Barry Crimmins (@crimmins) March 1, 2018
Crimmins was a vet of the Boston standup scene, and founded two clubs, Ding Ho and Stitches, in the ’80s. In the ’90s he revealed in his act that he had been raped as a child and became a tireless activist against child pornography. Bobcat Goldthwait made the acclaimed 2015 documentary, Call Me Lucky, about Barry and his life, and you can stream that on Netflix, Amazon and iTunes. Watch the trailer, along with video of his standup, below.
There has been an outpouring of tributes on social media from fellow comedians, musicians and more, including Judd Apatow, John Hodgman, Ted Leo, Patton Oswalt, Marc Maron, and Neko Case. Read some of those below.
Rest in peace, Barry. You will be missed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daHKF32nZcc
https://twitter.com/JuddApatow/status/969109245894344704
https://twitter.com/marcmaron/status/969246048345452544
This one hurts a lot. Barry Crimmins was a good man with a huge heart who sacrificed a great deal to make the world better. RIP Barry. It was an honor to meet you & I will cherish every kind word you said to me. https://t.co/NBp1kzGEVI
— Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) March 1, 2018
We don’t have Barry Crimmins anymore. And we really, really needed him. A blazing, hilarious soul. RIP https://t.co/jbzdDjBcJn
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) March 1, 2018
If there is peace somewhere, I hope @crimmins rests in it. But it hurts that he was outlived by this brief moment of garbage time. Because of his life, and now because he is gone, we know that the job is to fight harder. No rest for us.
— John Hodgman (@hodgman) March 1, 2018
Barry was an inspiration; to me, especially recently. I know the world was hard on him, but he responded w/love. Thank you, Barry and Helen (& thank you, @tedalexandro). Also, I agree w/@macosken that @Pontifex should excommunicate him posthumously. https://t.co/hnQn0pKqni
— Continuity Ted Leo Account 🍉 (@tedleo) March 1, 2018
Unbelievably tragically sad. Dammit. Barry was an early mentor of mine who gave me stage time and guidance and wisdom and lots of unsolicited opinions. https://t.co/HxXacOEdFZ
— Baratunde (@baratunde) March 1, 2018
My god. I can’t believe Barry Crimmins has passed. He is a 5 star general in the fight against child pornography, exploitation and a system that protects pedophiles. He is a loud intersectional feminist, human rights advocate and bringer of joy. We all owe him. I love you, Barry
— Neko Case (@NekoCase) March 1, 2018
Barry Crimmins was my brother. He’s a warrior & funny & most of all a very good boy. ❤️to his family & million friends. Barry loved people but not a huge fan of the Pope. Watch the documentary @bcgoldthwait did about him “Call Me Lucky” Barry was #MeToo before #MeToo was #MeToo
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) March 1, 2018
https://twitter.com/michaelianblack/status/969193111250448384
https://twitter.com/JAdomian/status/969111798623354880
damn rest peacefully barry crimmins. you fought valiantly your entire life. you taught and reminded us all to keep fighting.
— OME (@Mike_Eagle) March 1, 2018
Just learned of Barry Crimmins passing. So sad. When I met him I felt like I was meeting a founding father of stand up comedy. This world is a better place because of poeple like Barry. Rest in peace. https://t.co/vNRENPDKhY
— Jim Gaffigan (@JimGaffigan) March 1, 2018
https://twitter.com/danagould/status/969135356246335488
https://twitter.com/jakefogelnest/status/969112658472419329
https://twitter.com/mrdavehill/status/969262438502879236
https://twitter.com/ACNewman/status/969197970217492481