“Def Comedy Jam” comedian and “In Living Color” cast member Reggie McFadden has died in Tanzania. He was 57 years old.
“I was very sad to learn that my brother had died so far from home,” his sister, the author of “The Book of Harlan,” Bernice L. McFadden, told the Times. “Our mother is taking it particularly hard, as are her children and other siblings. Reggie was estranged from the family. The last time we saw him was in 2007. We knew he lived in Tanzania, but we knew very little about his life there.”
The State Department notified the family of Reggie’s death, but did not provide a cause of death, Bernice said. The family is awaiting details.
Reggie was born in Brooklyn on November 30, 1968. He described part of his early life to The Times in August 1996.
“Before I started doing comedy, I would go on what I would call adventures. I would hang out with someone I didn’t know or go to an abandoned building. I would get on the train, get off at the last stop, walk around the neighborhood and meet people. When you do that, you learn things,” he said.
He also described fulfilling a longtime dream: appearing on “The Late Show With David Letterman,” saying, “I had auditioned for his show 12 times. I waited a long time to get on his show.” He appeared on the show two more times: in 1998 and 2003.
After performing stand-up in New York, he appeared on HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam” — Times critic David Kronke called his 1993 performance “the funniest, boldest set of the evening” — and moved to Los Angeles. A string of television appearances followed, including on “Martin,” “Hanging With Mr. Cooper” and “Coach.” He appeared as an actor in one season of the ’90s comedy series “In Living Color,” with appearances in series like “Moesha,” “Gun,” “Getting Personal” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” He also appeared in the film “Little Nicky” starring Adam Sandler.
His acting and other television appearances stopped around 2005, according to his IMDb profile. He then lived in Tanzania for about 18 years.
“I think Reggie thought the world had forgotten him,” his sister told the Times, “so it’s heartwarming to see the outpouring of love and sympathy and memories. I’m sure he’s smiling on the other side.”
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