The 10 Best Stand-Up Comedians We've Lost in the Past 10 Years

Patrice O'Neal (December 7, 1969 - November 29, 2011)

Now here is a comedian we can say went before his time. At the age of only 41, Patrice O'Neal died of complications from a stroke suffered due to his Type 2 diabetes. Surely not the last controversial comedian on this list (as he wouldn't be one of the greats if he wasn't), O'Neal's style ruffled his crowds' feathers, as he was quite the provocateur, often encouraging crowd interaction, then comically poking fun. He was also one of Comedy Central's funniest roasters.

Greg Giraldo (December 10, 1965 - September 29, 2010)

While Patrice O'Neal knew his way around making light of celebrity roastees, there may have been no one better at the craft than the late Greg Giraldo. His delivery was flawless, as evidenced by the video, but above all else, he always came prepared, and was nearly impossible to catch off-guard. Sadly, he was just starting to make a name for himself as one of the modern greats before passing away unexpectedly in 2010.

Robert Schimmel (January 16, 1950 - September 3, 2010)

September 2010 was a bad month for stand-up fans. Not only did we lose Greg Giraldo to an accidental overdose of prescription medications, but just weeks before, we were robbed of another great due to injuries sustained from a car accident. To make matters worse, the raunchy comedian (and we mean raunchy), could just never seem to catch a break even prior to his death, having already survived a heart attack in 1998, cancer in 2000...and his ex-wife (insert comic rimshot).

George Carlin (May 12, 1937 - June 22, 2008)

Arguably the most influential comedian of all time (besides, perhaps, our next entry), no death left a bigger pit in the stomachs of comedians everywhere than George Carlin's due to heart failure at age 71. His raunchy, yet extremely intelligent humor will live on forever, though, as he was the template for just about every great comedian alive today. He told it like it was, and left us with some of the most classic bits in comedic history, such as his famous "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television."

Richard Pryor (December 1, 1940 - December 10, 2005)

Another victim of a heart attack, Richard Pryor passed away in 2005 with "a smile on his face," according to his wife, Jennifer. His outspoken and often vulgar style are what put him on the map and made him a cultural icon. Much like George Carlin, his friendly comedic rival, Pryor was an inspiration to comics everywhere, and continues to be to this very day. Carlin even displayed a photo of Pryor onstage during his final HBO stand-up special in 2008, honoring the memory of his fallen comrade.

Mitch Hedberg (February 24, 1968 - March 29, 2005)

While the deaths of the greats such as George Carlin and Richard Pryor were indeed sad and somewhat untimely, the passing of Mitch Hedberg was tragic. His brand of surreal, observational humor, often consisting of mostly one-liners, made his routine extremely unique, to the point where he had only built himself a relatively small cult following before passing away of a drug overdose. He has become an extremely rare case of a comedian who wasn't discovered by a mainstream audience until after he died. (Related: Mitch Hedberg Quote Generator)

Rodney Dangerfield (November 22, 1921 - October 5, 2004)

There may have been no comedian better at self-effacing humor than Rodney Dangerfield. Coupled with his trademark wittiness and patented "No Respect" routine, the deadpan comedian's stand-up act was one of the most compelling there was. Even prior to his death in 2004 of complications from surgery, when asked how long he would be hospitalized, Dangerfield responded with a characteristic, "If all goes well, about a week. If not, about an hour and a half."

Bob Hope (May 29, 1903 - July 27, 2003)

A living legend until dying of pneumonia at the ripe old age of 100, Bob Hope was not only a great comedian with impeccable comic timing, but easily one of the most patriotic entertainers in history. He made a staggering 57 USO tours between 1942 and 1988, entertaining the troops with clean, fun-loving humor and earning himself the title of the "first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces" from the U.S. Congress in 1996. It's a no-brainer why he will always and forever be missed.