R.I.P. Greg Giraldo

What started as rumours became official, Wednesday night, as the death of comedian Greg Giraldo was announced, most likely from accidental prescription drug overdose.

First, as is now customary, TMZ announced it, then the rest of the media followed suit. I've had a busy week of barely sleeping and being out in the real world, so I wasn't online for most of the hours when the sun is shining, so I learned it from Jon Stewart's brief but heartfelt tribute at the end of his Daily Show.

Giraldo was a sure-shot: give him any slot (headliner, opener), any tribune (stand-up show, festival, TV show, roast) - and he will always get a laugh out of the audience. His comedic style was post-90s: sarcastic, witty, bound with almost as many cultural references as Dennis Miller but without the retarded politics forcing their way in the jokes and making them less funny.

To call him an insult comic would be right, I guess, but only describes maybe 20% of his comedic persona. The fact that he could retort in half a second's time to anyone else's comments in any setting using pop culture references if they were to be understood but without resorting to them for an audience for whom it would go unnoticed made him a good judge for such TV shows as Last Comic Standing.

Twice married, he leaves 3 children behind. He also used to be a lawyer - he graduated from Harvard Law. Which probably explains his natural ability for turn-on-a-dime comedy. He would have been 45 this December. He will be missed.