Comedian Vic Henley dies at 57, close ones recall phonecall rants and smoking 'fattest joint' with him
Vic Henley, the popular comedian, standup artist and a regular on the radio show ‘Opie & Anthony’, died on Monday, April 6. He was 57. The artist was a celebrity not only among art patrons in New York, where he was based, but also from all over the country.
Henley’s niece, Tatum Singley, confirmed the news in a Facebook post, saying the artist died due to pulmonary embolism after all efforts to save him failed. She added that due to the social-distancing measures amid coronavirus outbreak, there will be no memorial for the celebrity until further notice.
"The world loved Vic for the smile and laughter he brought to us all. The amount of venues he performed in around the country and being nominated 8 times for Comedian of the Year tells you a small amount of the respect he had in his industry of work. And he loved his work because it brought him so many of his friends," Singley said in the post.
All his fans, followers and friends took to social media and shared their deepest condolences and regret losing such a fine man and friend. Many people also reminisce funny incidents and memorable anecdotes with Henley and shared them on Twitter.
One of his acquaintances said, “Had the pleasure of smoking the fattest joint of my life with Vic Henley after he got off stage 15 minutes into his set on NYE 2018 because he thought someone's phone was his light Face with tears of joy... #RIP #vichenley.”
Another friend and a big fan of his art, recalls her hard time and how Henley helped her get through it. She said, “REST EASY @vichenley Broken heart I enjoyed our friendship so much. Our late-night phonecall rants were what got me thru Carl’s death. Our shared southern roots, AZ ties & 2 seriously sick senses of humor sealed our friendship. Tell Carl “What up Cuz” for me. Miss u buddy #rip #vichenley.”
And some people still cannot believe that their favorite comedian is gone. “Attaching #Rolltide to a tribute about #VicHenley is the one surefire way to bring him back from the great beyond just to give you immense amounts of shit #WarEagle,” said a fan.
Henley was also a regular on the OpieRadio Podcast and their official Twitter handle shared this heartfelt tweet on Tuesday after Henley’s death. The post reads, “Numb. R I P @VicHenley A great comic. Loved doing radio with him but loved even more our friendship. The long hilarious knowledgeable phone calls. The long walks home after doing the radio show ending in the middle of Central Park where I would turn left and he right.”
“As we parted he would shout, 'you’re not suppose to make new friends at our age.' Always happy, rarely sad.
“@VicHenley never had a bad word to say about anyone. His laugh/giggle was so contagious which you wanted to be around. Music knowledge second to none. Just an incredible loss to his family, friends and the comedy community. The world is less loveable today. Thanks so.much for your friendship my brother,” concluded the tweet.