Stand-up comedian John Mulrooney has died at the age of 67. He died “suddenly” on December 29, 2025, at his home in Coxsackie, New York. A cause of death has not been released.
Born on August 27, 1958, in Brooklyn, Mulrooney got his start in comedy in 1980 when he appeared at Pips in his home borough. From there, he’d go on to grace some of the legendary stages in stand-up, including Catch a Rising Star, Dangerfield’s, the Improv, the Comic Strip, and the Laugh Factory. As he emerged as one of the top talents to emerge from New York’s scene, Mulrooney took his act from the stage to television.
In the late 1980s, Mulrooney emerged as a late-night host on syndicated television. He replaced the legendary Joan Rivers as the host of The Late Show on Fox in 1987. Mulrooney also hosted programs Comedy Tonight and Comic Strip Live and served as a guest host for Pat Sajak on The Pat Sajak Show. When he wasn’t hosting, Mulrooney appeared on programs such as An Evening at the Improv and Hollywood Squares.
John Mulrooney, Stand-Up Comedian and TV Host, Dies at 67
Mulrooney once opened for Andrew Dice Clay’s Valentine’s Day Massacre pay-per-view special in 1994. In a tribute posted on his Facebook page, Clay remembered Mulrooney as having the “discipline to get up there every night, the drive, the want and willing to go through whatever it had to be to claw his way to the top.”
Additionally, in a 2024 interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Adam Sandler spoke highly of him, saying that Mulrooney “would just destroy a room. He was so loose and would dominate the room, and then they’d bring you up, and you’re like, ‘Oh, goodness gracious.’”
Once his career on stage ended, Mulrooney moved to radio, where he co-hosted morning and drive-time programs in Cleveland and New York City.
As a side job to his comedy career, in 2010, Mulrooney became a police officer. According to his official obituary, he performed at fundraisers for police and fire departments across the country.
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