In Living Color Alum Reggie McFadden Dead at 57

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Reggie McFadden's loved ones are remembering his colorful life.

The comedian, who appeared on the final season of In Living Color in the 1990s, has died, his sister Bernice McFadden confirmed. He was 57. 

McFadden died in Tanzania, where he had been living for nearly two decades, the Sugar author said to The Hollywood Reporter, adding that the family is still seeking answers about his passing, including when he died and his cause of death.  

In addition to Bernice, McFadden is survived by his mother Vivian, sister Misty, brother Kris and sons Jaron and Myles.

McFadden grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he nurtured a passion for comedy “after realizing early on that if he didn't work hard, he'd end up in the projects across the street,” read a bio for the comedian on The Comedy Store.

And he’s occasionally shared insight into life before comedy.

“Before I started doing comedy, I would go on what I would call adventures,” McFadden told the Los Angeles Times in 1996. “I would hang out with somebody I didn’t know or I would go into an abandoned building.”

He added, “I would get on the train and get off at the last stop and walk around the neighborhood and meet people. When you do that, you learn things.”

But McFadden’s entire world took a turn in 1991 when he got his big break on HBO's Def Comedy Jam, which allowed him to break into the TV scene, scoring small roles on sitcoms like Martin and Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper in the following years. 

Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage

Following his TV success, it wasn’t long until McFadden was asked to join FOX’s sketch comedy show In Living Color, where he appeared on 23 episodes between 1993 and 1994.

But after the show’s cancellation, McFadden’s career didn’t slow down. In fact, he went on to make appearances on Moesha in 1996, Getting Personal in 1998 and Adam Sandler’s Little Nicky in 2000 before making his final credit in 2005.

And after making audiences laugh for the better part of two decades, it’s safe to say he knew his way around an unforgettable joke. 

“Because I’ve worked in the comedy clubs,” he explained to the Los Angeles Times, “because I’ve heard every joke in the world, because I’m a comedian, it’s really hard to make me laugh now.”

“Out here in L.A., everybody is always smiling,” he added. “You talk to people, and they crack a joke, and the joke isn’t really funny. Some people laugh anyway just to make the person feel good. I don’t do that. If it’s not funny, I’m not laughing. “[It’s like,] go back to comedy school!”

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