Lashonda Lester (died April 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian from

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. Her posthumous debut album, ''Shondee Superstar'', was released by

Dan Schlissel Dan Schlissel is an American record producer from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and founder of the record labels Stand Up! Records, which specializes in comedy, and -ismist Recordings, which focused on punk and alternative rock from Nebraska and nearb ...

's Stand Up! Records in 2019, and was critically praised. John-Michael Bond of '' Paste'' magazine called her "a rare talent with a preternatural gift for razor-sharp storytelling."

Marc Maron Marcus David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician. In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on the '' Late Show with David Letterman'' and has appeared more than forty ...

called her a "funny, authentic, hard-working comic who had her own voice. ... That’s an honest comic. The best kind."

Early life

Lester was born in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. As a child, she was a voiceover actress in local commercials. She developed an early interest in comedy, memorizing routines by Redd Foxx,

Slappy White Melvin Edward "Slappy" White (September 27, 1921 – November 7, 1995) was an American comedian and actor. He worked with Redd Foxx on the Chitlin' Circuit of stand-up comedy during the 1950s and 1960s. He appeared on the television shows ''Sa ...

George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercu ...

, and

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

. She worked various jobs, including as a wrestling promoter and a madam.

Career

Lester moved to Austin in 2004 to work in politics, and began performing stand-up in 2008. She became known for creating and starring in the darkly comic biography series ''Weird! True Hollywood Tales'', which ran for five seasons at Austin's Salvage Vanguard Theater. She performed frequently on television, including '' NickMom Night Out'' in 2013, the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

series ''Stand Up Empire'' in 2016, and Fox's ''Laughs'' in 2017. She was chosen as one of the top 100 comics on season 9 of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

show ''

Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large group ...

'' in 2015. In 2016, Lester won the prestigious annual "Funniest Person in Austin" competition at Austin's Cap City Comedy Club, the first black comedian to win the award. Her win was captured in the 2016 documentary ''Funniest'', directed by Katie Pengra and Dustin Svehlak. In 2016, the

Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogra ...

gave Lester a special award in its Best of 2016 issue, "Best Unstoppable Comedy Dynamo". Lester was increasingly well known nationally when she died in 2017. She had recently received critical praise for a high-profile performance with Marc Maron and was due to record her first special for the TV series ''

Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents ''Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents'', formerly known as ''The Half Hour'', is an American stand-up comedy television series that airs on Comedy Central in the United States. The program features various stand-up comedians in each episode. It rep ...

'' later that year. Several national publications, including ''Paste'' and ''Vulture'', published lengthy obituaries after her death.

Personal life

Lester and her husband, Dana, had a son.

Health issues and death

Lester was diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease in 2015, and had been hospitalized prior to her death. She underwent dialysis four times a week, often using the time to write new material.

Discography

*''Shondee Superstar'' ( Stand Up! Records, 2019) ''Shondee Superstar'' was well received by critics. Writing in '' Paste'', Bond called the album "a lovely introduction to a voice that’s both purely unique and universally relatable." Valerie Lopez and Lara Smith of ''Comedy Wham'' called the album "superb" and praised Lester's "knack for storytelling" and ability to "turn a simple phrase with perfect timing and absolutely slay an audience."

Podcast appearances

''Comedy Wham'', "Lashonda Lester: The Kitten From Murder Mitten" (April 19, 2016)

''The Savage and Starbuck Show'', "A Conversation With Lashonda Lester" (Oct. 23, 2014)

References

External links

Lashonda Lester at Stand Up! Records website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lester, Lashonda 1970s births 2017 deaths American women comedians African-American stand-up comedians American stand-up comedians People from Austin, Texas People from Detroit Comedians from Texas Comedians from Michigan 21st-century American comedians Stand Up! Records artists 21st-century American women 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women