Mitch Hedberg, known for his laid-back style of comedy, was found dead in a New Jersey hotel room Thursday. He was 37 years old.
The cause of death was not immediately known. Rumors abound that either a heart attack or drug overdose felled the comedian. Hedberg's comedy was always filled with numerous drug references, giving strength to the latter rumor.
Rumors of an Andy Kaufman-esque April Fool's Day hoax surrounded Hedberg's demise. However, his performances at the Baltimore Improv scheduled for this weekend were all cancelled.
Hedberg, a St. Paul native, got his start in the comedy field by walking up to the producers of MTV's \Comikaze"" and personally selling himself. His big break came during an appearance at the Montreal International Comedy Festival. This gig lead to the first of many appearances on ""Late Night with David Letterman.""
Throughout his career, Hedberg met many favorable comparisons to the dry comedy stylings of Steven Wright. Many appreciated Hedberg's observations such as ""I think they could take sesame seeds off the market, and I wouldn't even care. I can't imagine five years from now saying, 'Damn, remember sesame seeds, what happened? All the buns are blank!""
Hedberg straddled the line between mainstream acceptance and cult heroics. On his second comedy album, 2003's Mitch All Together, he joked, ""This [CD] will be in stores. See, the only way I could get my old one into a store is if I would take one in and leave it.""
Despite initial troubles getting his first CD, Strategic Grill Locations into stores, the success of Mitch All Together represented a step toward notoriety. Hedberg toured with Lewis Black in 2003 and Stephen Lynch in 2004. ""Comedy Central Presents Mitch Hedberg,"" remains one of the highest-rated episodes of that series.
On Thursday, Comedy Central posted a small tribute to Hedberg on their website, along with the message ""Tragically, Mitch Hedberg passed away this week. Mitch was a beloved member of the Comedy Central family, and we join fans in our sadness. He will be missed.""
Apart from the world of comedy, Hedberg made several forays into film. He played the Eagles' road manager in a small scene during 2000's ""Almost Famous."" He also wrote, directed and starred in 1999's ""Los Enchiladas!""
Hedberg leaves behind his wife, Lynn, a fellow comedian he met while on tour.
