Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
stand up comedian Judy Tenuta has died. The star was declared dead on Thursday, October 6. She was 72 years old.
According to an announcement by publicist Harlan Boll, Tenuta died after battling stage four ovarian cancer at her home in Studio City.
The comedienne known for her hilarious character work has entertained fans over the years with her portrayals of figures, including the Virgin Mary. Some of these people had their own names, such as Queen of Candy-Pants, Princess of Panty Shields, and Buffer of Foreheads.
Since her act included a musical component while playing the accordion, Tenuta got two more names, the Goddess of Love and Aphrodite of the Accordion. It wasn’t just the names that made these characters unique, Tenuta would also sport a variety of looks to suit each different person.
Tenuta was the first stand-up comedian to receive the American Comedy Awards Best Female Comedian award and received multiple Grammy nominations throughout her career.
Outside of stand-up, Tenuta also had a long career in television and film that began in 1974 according to IMDb. One of her most notable roles was an appearance on Material Girls alongside Hillary and Haley Duff. The actress has also appeared in multiple musicals in both Los Angeles and Chicago, including The Vagina Monologues and Menopause the Musical.
Throughout her career, Tuenuta has also collaborated with musical comedian “Weird Al” Yankovic, who shared a statement on social media following her passing.
Tenuta is survived by her partner Vern Pang, brothers Daniel, John, Steven, Thomas, James, and sister Barbara.
