Comedian Vic Henley, a regular guest on the “Opie and Anthony” radio show, has died at the age of 57.
Henley’s niece Tatum Singley announced the death in a post on Facebook. She said her uncle suffered from a pulmonary embolism over the weekend and died on Monday.
“Vic Henley. An amazing son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, boyfriend, and best friend to many… he loved us all so much and we hope he knows how much we love him,” Singley wrote in the post.
“He loved his work because it brought him so many of his friends. His friends were also a part of his and our family. Last week, he was just telling me how much he loved his life. He showed us all how much he loved us by how he showed up for each one of us every single day.”
Henley was a 30-plus-years comedy veteran, born and raised in Alabama. He coauthored the national best-selling book “Games Rednecks Play” with his fellow comedian Jeff Foxworthy.
The legendary performer within the New York comedy circuit performed on over 500 college campuses in all 50 states, receiving eight Comedian of the Year nominations.
“The world loved Vic for the smile and laughter he brought to us all. The amount of venues he performed in around the country and being nominated eight times for Comedian of the Year tells you a small amount of the respect he had in his industry of work,” Singley said.
Greg “Opie” Hughes, host of the radio show “Opie and Anthony,” wrote a lengthy post on Twitter to mourn his friend.
“A great comic. Loved doing radio with him but loved even more our friendship,” Hughes said. “The long hilarious knowledgeable phone calls. The long walks home after doing the radio show ending in the middle of Central Park where I would turn left and he right.”
“As we parted he would shout, ‘You’re not supposed to make new friends at our age.’ Always happy, rarely sad,” the host wrote. “Never had a bad word to say about anyone. His laugh/giggle was so contagious which you wanted to be around.”
“Just an incredible loss to his family, friends, and the comedy community. The world is less lovable today. Thanks so much for your friendship my brother. RIP,” he added.
Comedian Community Mourning
Other comedians wrote on social media about his passing, with Larry The Cable Guy and Jim Gaffigan paying tribute and remembering Henley for his kindness.
“We lost a good friend today in the comedy world. The talented, hilarious, and one of the sweetest people in comedy, Alabama’s own Vic Henley,” Larry The Cable Guy wrote on Twitter.
We lost a good friend today in the comedy world. The talented hilarious and one of the sweetest people in comedy Alabama’s own Vic Henley. We loved Vic so much and for those of us that have known him since the late 80’s we are heartbroken for his family and friends. Salute
— Larry The Cable Guy (@GitRDoneLarry) April 7, 2020
Gaffigan wrote on Twitter he was sad to hear about Henley’s passing, saying he “was such a warm, special, funny man.”
“I was always excited when Vic was on a show because he greeted everyone with a smile and kindness,” he added. “RIP buddy. You were always a light in a dark world. Thanks for being my friend.”
