Veatrice Rice (October 1, 1949 – January 21, 2009) was a nurse turned security guard and television personality, best known for her appearances on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...

'', where she served as a

sidekick A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...

for

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

Jimmy Kimmel James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the host and executive producer of ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-night talk show that premiered on ABC on January 26, 2003, ...

. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...

, Kentucky, Rice worked as a parking lot security guard in the building where ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is taped. With the two other security guards on staff at the program, she performed in a variety of skits and the recurring segment "Worst Team on Television". Veatrice was characterized by her wry, sarcastic demeanor, with quiet moments punctuated by outbursts of obscene language. Rice died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on January 21, 2009. A montage of some of her funniest moments was played in her honor on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' the following day.

References

1949 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American comedians African-American nurses African-American television personalities African-American female comedians American women comedians American women nurses American women television personalities Comedians from Georgia (U.S. state) {{US-tv-bio-stub