Kenny DeForest obit

Comedian Kenny DeForest Dies in Bicycle Accident at 37

The stand-up, who made appearances on HBO's 'Crashing,' 'Late Night With Seth Meyers' and 'The Late Late Show With James Corden,' died five days after his e-bike accident.  

He was not on the list.

Stand-up Kenny DeForest, who was a fixture of the Brooklyn comedy scene and appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers, The Late Late Show With James Corden and the Pete Holmes-starring HBO series Crashing, died Wednesday. He was 37.

On Dec. 8, DeForest was on a rented bicycle at the intersection of Rogers Avenue and Sterling Place in Prospect Park when he hit an unoccupied parked car, a New York City Police Department spokesperson told NBC News.

He was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he underwent neurological surgery to remove a piece of his skull in order to relieve pressure from cranial bleeding.

Ryan Beck, a fellow comic and close friend of DeForest’s, organized a GoFundMe amid the comedian’s hospitalization. In the most recent update, Beck noted that DeForest’s final moments “included some of his favorite songs, stories of his childhood and memories of his extensive positivity and joy for life.”

LiveOnNY, a nonprofit organization that facilitates organ donation, announced on social media that on Sunday, DeForest “graciously gifted seven of his organs to five people between the ages of 30 and 75. Kenny gifted his heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and pancreas to recipients waiting for a second chance at life from New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC and Indiana.​​”

Beck confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that DeForest suffered the accident after he “swerved to miss something on the road and lost control of the e-bike and crashed.” The comic remembered his friend as a kindhearted man who was “really invested in other people. He really cared about others, their experience and their well-being. Those feelings of warmth, kindness and encouragement are things I’m really going to miss.”

David Drake, another comic who was close to DeForest, looked back at his friend’s personality with humor: “Kenny convinced me not to walk into these acid pools in Yosemite that I guess kill like, I dunno, 23 people every year. He stopped me from trying to hike to a waterfall in the middle of a desert, 4 miles, uphill, with no water, in my flip-flops. He helped me descend a mountain in Zion after a landfall had wiped out the trail. I guess what I’m saying is I’m in trouble now.​​”

He added to THR, “I hosted and produced Kenny’s most recent special [Don’t You Know Who I Am?], but he forgot to include my name in the credits. He did not forget to include his middle school basketball coach.​​”

Drake also noted that nearly two months before his death, DeForest created a “Funeral Playlist” on Spotify.

“I was looking through the music and he has a couple Rage Against the Machine songs on there and I just want to call him and be like ‘What is this? When would you like us to play ‘Killing in the Name of’? Would you like us to throw the casket in the hole?'” Drake said. “What hurts so much about this experience is there are just so many things about Kenny’s death that are funny and absurd that I know we would laugh really hard about, but instead I’m just sharing them with you.”

On social media, many paid their respects to the late comedian.

In a statement shared on social media, Late Night wWith Seth Meyers paid tribute to DeForest, writing, “Kenny DeForest was a universally beloved comedian who died tragically and much too young. His relaxed, confident delivery always stood out. As you can see from his debut late night set on LNSM, he wasn’t afraid to tackle controversial topics but never just to be edgy — always in service of an original angle and a great joke. It’s a shame we won’t get to see what he comes up with next.”

Comedian and Fire Island star Joel Kim Booster tweeted, “Love you forever Kenny. One of the most genuinely supportive, funny guys who always always always made me feel welcome in the boys club, never made me feel like a sideshow and told me to fuck ’em whenever I was doubting myself. I’m going to miss you so much.​​”

Actor James Adomian penned a lengthy tribute to DeForest on Instagram, remembering him as “everyone’s best friend.”