Judy Tenuta, the Grammy-nominated comedian who described herself as a “Love Goddess†and “Aphrodite of the Accordion,†died of ovarian cancer on October 6 at her home in Los Angeles. She was 72. Her publicist, Roger Neal, confirmed the news to the Associated Press. “She was a very funny, amazing performer,†Neal said, adding that it was always a “happy time to be around her.â€
Born in 1949 in Oak Park, Illinois, Tenuta began her comedy career after taking improv classes with Chicago’s Second City group. She opened for comedians throughout the ‘70s, and eventually became one of the leading figures of the stand-up boom of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Known for a strikingly bold brand of comedy, Tenuta often called the men in her audience “pigs†or “stud puppets.†In 1987, she rose to national fame by starring in an HBO special with Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Poundstone, and Rita Rudner. During her act, she spat her gum at the crowd and demanded that they “crawl for it!†The following year, she became the first woman stand-up to win “Best Female Comedian†at the American Comedy Awards, and accepted the honor by quipping, “I want to say to all the other women in my category… suffer!â€
Tenuta won back-to-back Grammy nominations for her 1995 and 1996 comedy albums Attention Butt Pirates and Lesbetarians! and In Goddess We Trust. The self-proclaimed founder of “Judyism†— a religion where she was the only person allowed to complain — was also an ordained minister who championed same-sex equality. Over the course of her career, her on-screen credits included roles in General Hospital and Material Girls. Tenuta also starred in stage productions like The Vagina Monologues and Menopause The Musical, and made appearances in two of Weird Al Yankovic’s parody music videos, “White & Nerdy†and “Headline News.†“Devastated to hear of the passing of my dear, dear friend, the lovely Miss Judy Tenuta,†Yankovic tweeted in response to the news of her death. “I can’t believe she’s gone. Earth has truly lost a goddess.â€