Comedian Andy Kaufman Faked His Death as Part of Long Joke?

By: Sep. 28, 2014
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.

It appears that deceased comedian Andy Kaufman may be pulling one over on all of us.

According to NYPost, Kaufman's writing partner, Bob Zmuda reveals in his book, ANDY KAUFMAN: THE TRUTH, FINALLY, that Kaufman's death was exactly like a bit they wrote for a film called The Tony Clifton Story, which featured a title character based on Kaufman.

Page 124 of the script says, "On June 12, 1980 . . . Tony Clifton, at the age of 45, died of cancer at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Hollywood, California." Four years following that, Kaufman supposedly died from cancer at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Hollywood, California, at age 35.

Additionally, Zmuda believes that Kaufman will return soon to have the last laugh.

Andrew Geoffrey "Andy" Kaufman was a popular and eccentric American entertainer, actor and performance artist. While often referred to as a comedian, Kaufman did not consider himself to be one. He disdained telling jokes and engaging in comedy as it was traditionally understood, referring to himself instead as a "song-and-dance man." Pranks and elaborate ruses were major elements of his career. His body of work maintains a cult following and he continues to be respected[by whom?] for his original material, performance style, and unflinching commitment to character.

Photo credit: ABC's Taxi


Vote Sponsor


Videos