by Angelo Lozada, a beloved stand-up comedian from The Bronx, has died. Lozada was 53.
Lozada warmed up audiences for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and also toured the globe with Noah as his opening act.
Lozada’s son, Martique, launched a GoFundMe on Dec. 15, just three days after his father received a diagnosis of stage 4 stomach cancer. Angelo Lozada died Thursday. Noah paid tribute to him on social media, as well during the “Moment of Zen” on The Daily Show. “When we started our journey together we were driving around the U.S. trying to make 300 people laugh at a time. 6 years later we were travelling the world performing together in arenas. Comedian, father, brother, husband, friend. I love you Pop,” Noah wrote on Instagram.
Lozada’s stand-up credits included Showtime At The Apollo, BET’s ComicView, Martin Lawrence’s 1st Amendment and AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live.
Lozada was a proud Puerto Rican, performing in both English and Spanish. Nuyorican Rule! That’s the comedy troupe he founded, which performed on New Joke City with Robert Klein as well as Showtime At The Apollo.
Comedians throughout the New York comedy scene were effusive in their loving thanks and gratitude for the love Lozada had shown all of them through the years, whether as a house MC at Gotham Comedy Club, or just by serving as a big brother or a father figure to many.
DC Benny wrote: “Sad to hear about the passing of Angelo Lozada. He was one of the FEW, and I repeat FEW, who would actually try to help out fellow comics instead of feeling like they may bite a piece of pie that should only be tasted by a hungry self. It’s hard to put in to words how much I respect him and his hard-earned skills in a climate where it’s now acceptable to read your act from your phone. We laughed together, broke bread together, collaborated on any and everything, and watched each other’s sets grow. The comedy community has lost another original voice, and I’ve lost my guy that would hit me up at some ungodly hour, and say; “yo b, I got an idea. Wanna write on it together?” Rest in Platanos, my brother, I’m sorry your time on this earth wasn’t longer and I hope your chancletas make a lot of noise in that other place. Man, you made me laugh.”
From Adam Ray: “It’s surreal to even be trying to write something about my friend Angelo Lozada, that helps you understand how incredible he was. If you knew Angelo, you got to meet the best version of what a person is capable of being. He was true humanity. Love was his middle name. Angelo was as funny as he was kind. I saw him every time I went to NYC the past 10 years. Few cities have people you get fired up to see. We laughed so much, and always made plans to hang in LA. Wish we had. Everyone loved him. Everyone. Not a bad bone in his body. All he did was work hard, love hard, and support selflessly. He was also so wise. The life advice and career guidance he’d offer up, always turned my attitude around. He cared. And he was present. And his smile was a game changer. My heart hurts for his wife and family. Life is sweet as it is unfair. This sucks so fucking much. Healthy as a clam, then stage 4 stomach cancer out of nowhere. Unexplainable and unfair don’t come close to describing what he fought. I love you Ang. Hope you’re resting pain free. You couldn’t have lived life better, cause we all were from knowing you❤️”
From Gina Brillon: “I met Angelo Lozada when I first started comedy at 17yrs old. He was like a big brother instantly. I have so many memories of him that it’s hard for me to pick a favorite one so I won’t. They were all my favorite, every moment with him was a joy. He touched more people then he knew and I’m gutted by this loss. R.I.P. May your memory live on through those who loved you.”
Here’s some silliness to enjoy
Rest in peace, Angelo.
