Francis Kip Addotta (June 16, 1944 – August 13, 2019) was an American

stand up comedian Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

. He made several appearances on television during the 1970s including ''

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'', ''

The Mike Douglas Show ''The Mike Douglas Show'' was an American daytime television talk show that was hosted by Mike Douglas. It began as a local program in Cleveland before being carried on other stations owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting. The show went into natio ...

'', ''

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'', '' American Bandstand'', '' The Midnight Special'', ''

Don Kirshner's Rock Concert ''Don Kirshner's Rock Concert'' is an American television music variety show that ran during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Don Kirshner and syndicated to television stations, initially through Viacom Enterprises, and later ...

'', and the game shows ''

The Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show Television pilot, piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debut ...

'' and ''

Make Me Laugh ''Make Me Laugh'' was an American television game show in which contestants watch three stand-up comedians performing their acts, one at a time, earning one dollar for every second that they could make it through without laughing. Each comedian h ...

''. Addotta was also featured on the ''

Dr. Demento Barret Eugene Hansen (born April 2, 1941), known professionally as Dr. Demento, is an American radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograp ...

'' radio show. He is probably best known for his comedy recording "Wet Dream". Other recordings include "Big Cock Roach" and "Life in the Slaw Lane." Addotta appeared as the opening act for several superstars like Diana Ross,

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

and Liza Minnelli, among others. He also hosted the game show '' Everything Goes'' on the

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, and has appeared in a number of films, including the

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

biopic '' Bound for Glory'' (1976), and TV acting appearances, including ''

The Larry Sanders Show ''The Larry Sanders Show'' is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. The series was created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein and aired from August 15, 1992, to May 31, 1998, on the HBO ...

''. His early recordings were with

Laff Records Laff Records was a small American independent record label specializing in comedy and party records originating on the West Coast of the United States during the 1970s. Amongst their artists were Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, LaWanda Page, George Ca ...

Personal life

Addotta was born in Rockford, Illinois to Frank and Josephine Addotta (née Bucalo). He had an older half-sister named Kathie from his mother's previous marriage. His mother left when Addotta was two years old and took Kathy with her. His father abused him both emotionally and physically, and eventually placed him in an orphanage when he was four years old. His paternal grandmother Francesca Addotta then took him in to live with her. His grandmother and his grandfather Jesper ("Gaspare") had both come to the US from

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. In his autobiography, ''Confessions Of A Comedian'', Addotta describes his grandmother as an associate of the

Bonanno crime family The Bonanno crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the " Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, and in the United States, as part of the criminal phenomenon known as ...

. She died when he was 15. His grandmother had wanted him to become a priest, but he became a barber instead and managed a salon. He married his first wife, Mary, in 1962. Mary died in 1966; the couple had two children. Addotta had another child with his second wife, Lynn. Aged 27, he moved with his family to Los Angeles to try his luck at comedy. After performing several months at

The Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy S ...

, his career as a stand-up comedian took off. Addotta was the father of three children: Victor, Katheryn and Frank. He has one grandchild by his daughter Katheryn, and two grandchildren by his son Frank. Addotta died on August 13, 2019, aged 75.

Releases

;DVD *1995 – ''Live From Maximum Security!'' ;CD *1979 – ''I Hope I'm Not Out Of Line'' *1985 – ''The Comedian Of The United States'' *1985 – ''Life In The Slaw Lane'' *1989 – ''I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus'' *1994 – ''The Trouble Hole'' *2002 - ''Jokes To Go'' *2013 – ''Portable Kip'' *2014 – ''Ears to You'' ;Vinyl *1984 – ''White Boy Rapp'' ;Books *2018 – ''Confessions of a Comedian – An Autobiography''

References

Sources

External links

*
Wet Dream – Kip Addotta – YouTubeKip Addotta
at Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Addotta, Kip 1944 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians American male comedians American podcasters Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Comedians from Illinois Writers from Rockford, Illinois American people of Italian descent