Barry Crimmins has died. He was 64 years old.
He's best known nowadays as the featured figure in Bobcat Goldthwait's powerfully funny and tragic documentary Call Me Lucky. Crimmins himself was a very volatile stand-up comedian whose satirical jabs and anti-authoritarian barbs provoked laughter and shock among his audiences. He never received widespread acclaim during his heyday but remained a popular underground figure within the stand-up community. He opened and operated two comedy clubs in Boston during the 1980s, Stitches and The Ding Ho, which helped jumpstart the stand-up comedy boom and gave many future legends their big breaks in the industry.
During the 90s, Crimmins switched gears and became a political activist. He opened up to the public about being a survivor of sexual abuse and began targeting internet providers like America Online for their lax attitudes toward pedophiles operating their systems and creating chat room havens. He famously brought the matter and hard evidence he helped cultivate before the U.S. government, causing AOL to suffer a publicity nightmare and abruptly enforce new policies.
He will be missed.
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