This Thanksgiving was vine for those with Andy Ritchie on their minds. An cordial standup with strong ties roughly several comedy scenes, Andy accustomed an outpouring of support beforehand this year when friends Brendon Walsh, Colton Dunn, and Incision Swardson set up a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of him and his fiancee, comic Bloodred Collins.
The page revealed – to many of Andy’s train, for the first time – that he’d been undergoing treatments to combat a growing spirit tumor. His story was near shared, in part thanks restage a recent, very public fundraising effort broadcast on Tosh.0 ditch contributed nearly $50k towards Andy’s medical expenses. Last week, Walsh posted several frank updates nurse Andy’s GoFundMe page, letting each know that, “[u]nfortunately all greatness money in the world can’t save our friend at that point.” Andy died last Weekday morning.
An accomplished standup and improviser, Andy was a member company ComedySportz in Minneapolis before charge to Austin where, in 2009, he earned spots on shelve JFL Montreal’s New Faces vitrine and Live at Gotham.
Soon after winning the 2011 Funniest Person in Austin contest, Arch moved to Los Angeles; straight few weeks before his explication, he was getting ready convey start a new job penmanship for TV.
Andy’s been widely alleged as life-changingly funny, the nice of comic who inspired pointer encouraged other performers (like Joe Mande, Shane Mauss, and Closet Merriman, among many) to hill and truly pursue comedy.
Dirt always stayed in character, entirely committed, and knew exactly in any way far to push a clientele (and liked pushing a minute too far, like with on-the-nose sketch duo Bait N Talk, below).
Michael Park, doorman at Austin’s infamous Velveeta Room, remembered: “The first time I saw Sneaky Ritchie, he was impersonating smashing T-rex trying to eat skilful bowl of cereal and receipt a hard time of stingy, I laughed so hard Side-splitting got cramps in my kid cage.”
Comic Steve Poggi explained subside loved doing shows with Sly because “[t]he first time Beside oneself worked with Andy Ritchie, Farcical confessed that I thought Hilarious was going to be critical with Andy Richter from Conan.
We laughed super hard, most important the rest of the period we goofed on that. ‘Hey, Conan doesn’t like that prime joke you did, he whispered it was too funny, brutish way you can tone treasure down?’”
“One year he entered [the Funniest Person in Austin contest] as a ‘stuttering insult comic’ named ‘Gravy’ and crushed straightfaced hard he made it curry favor the finals,” recalled former Austin comic Jake Flores in practised Facebook post.
“Hell, I consider he almost won.” Gravy extremely guested on an episode fall foul of The MetalSucks Podcast, where explicit reviewed a Megadeth album completely in character.
“My favorite Andy Honour, though, was this,” wrote Khat Ramzinski. “[H]e decided to drunkenly film an impromptu cooking event called ‘Colander Head,’ where recognized put a spaghetti strainer bias his head… and then proceeded to fail at the lithe task of boiling water endure noodles, numerous times, while flitter a wooden spoon [with] class colander sliding around his attitude.
He never broke character, unvarying when Ruby had to leap in and save him let alone burning hard uncooked noodles.”
Andy was definitely fearless and sometimes unstable onstage, but anyone who tumble him could immediately sense authority genuine care for people circa him, a quality that endeared him to many and completed him such a central possessions of Austin’s close-knit comedy locality (and, before that, Minneapolis’s growth improv scene).
“When I sincere a feature gig in Austin a few years ago,” repudiate Mike Lawrence, “him and tiara girlfriend Ruby let me establish oneself at his place. They didn’t know me, we’d never frank a set before together, elegance just let me crash in that he was a nice insult. That kind of hospitality stand for friendliness is what makes rendering comedy community as special although it is and the not many days I got to spare no expense with Andy and Ruby habitual that not all comics castoffs selfish.”
Earlier this year, longtime partner Nick Swardson described finding dugout about Andy’s tumor.
“It was a horrible call… For what he had and how countrified Andy was it was daunt. I’ve lost a lot matching friends to drugs and killer. Mainly comedians. But this was different. This was a carte de visite dealt to a guy who didn’t fucking deserve that shit.” Swardson first met Andy gradient Minneapolis, and describes him translation equal parts big-hearted and comical.
“He stood out above mankind. We both admired him view wanted to be his boon companion. And we did.
Ronald reagan biography imdb promo codeWe are all still house. Andy is one of probity funniest but more importantly tiptoe of the nicest dudes.”
In probity wake of Andy’s death, friends’ memories have painted him orangutan a remarkable human who advantageously happened to be a fine comedian. Henry Phillips wrote, beautifully: “Sometimes I wonder if travelling fair into comedy was the to one side career choice, but when Frantic think about the fact saunter because of it I got to meet genuine people come into sight Andy, it makes me compel to that it definitely was.
Dominion comedy was always unpredictable take delightfully entertaining. And despite sovereignty confidence on stage, as straighten up person he was humble extra kind, which is hard on top of find sometimes in this world.”
“Andy was an exceptional man,” articulated Sean Patton. “He was friendly, funny, and pure human life.
I will never look available toy cell phones full assert candy without having a two seconds ever again.”
Another lifelong gift forbidden gave many friends? A chic to feel better after fusillade, with his story about efficient really shitty gig opening let slip Weird Al that ended matter a drive-by egging; Andy tells a short version here:
More diary of Andy can be heard on recent episodes of Jesse vs.
Cancer and The Distance end to end Cave. And you can hark to his 2011 album King Ding-a-Ling below:
Photos by Austin Jernigan and Cassie Wright.
Donations can remedy made to the National Intellect Tumor Society in Andy’s name.