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Andy Kaufman: Deaths
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Seventeen years after his "death" the world still talks about Andy Kaufman. His work on "Taxi", can be seen each weekday night on the Nickelodeon cable network. On March 29, 1995, a one-hour special, "A Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman", was telecast on NBC. This retrospective of Andy's career was produced by his former managers and close friends. The broadcast picked up a 10.2 rating (watched by approximately 14,300,000 viewers) and was nominated for an Emmy as Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. Many of Andy's appearances on "Late Night with David Letterman" or "Saturday Night Live" can be enjoyed via the E!
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After several family members at a Thanksgiving dinner that year were growing concerned over his persistent coughing for the past month, Kaufman consulted a physician and was initially diagnosed with cancer in December 1983. Despite his doctor's diagnosis that there was no hope for recovery, he was committed to fighting the disease until his death. After audiences were shocked by his gaunt appearance during his performances in 1984, Kaufman acknowledged having an unspecified illness, which he hoped to cure with "natural medicine" including an all-
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Kaufman died on May 16, 1984 of lung cancer and was interred in the Beth David Cemetery, Elmont, New York (Long Island). Over the years, many people doubted Kaufman's death, thinking that he staged it as the ultimate Andy Kaufman stunt. For one thing, friends and family said that Andy never smoked and lung cancer is rare in non-smokers, and it is ... rare in people under 50. For another, Kaufman himself even said that were he to fake his death, he would return 20 years later, on May 16, 2004, a claim which has become urban legend.
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Dec. 22, 1999 | As a phenomenon and as a person, Andy Kaufman was hard enough to explain during his lifetime. Now, 15 years after his death, understanding him is, if anything, harder.
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Though it was never made clear whether or not this was a gag, Kaufman did not appear on the show again, although this may be due to his early death. During the SNL episode with the Keep Andy/Dump Andy phone poll, many of the cast hinted their feelings about Andy's work at the speed at which they read the phone numbers. Eddie Murphy read the "Dump Andy" number at a much slower rate than the "Keep Andy" number, while Mary Gross read the "Dump Andy" number at a rate so fast that audiences were unable to catch it.
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Synopsis: This comedy performance features Andy Kaufman from his beginnings on the popular TV series Taxi to his bizarre spate as the "Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion of the World". Performance footage is combined with interviews with his co-stars following his untimely death. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie GuideRead More
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