Neel Nanda, a stand-up comedian perhaps best known for his appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Comedy Central's Adam Devine's House Party, has died, his manager Greg Weiss confirmed to Deadline. The cause of death is not immediately known. He was 34.
"I [am] deeply shocked and saddened by this. He was a wonderful comic, but a better person," Weiss said in a statement. "He had the world in front of him," Weiss added, noting he was fully booked with appearances throughout January and February.
The Port Comedy Club in Baltimore was among the first to pay tribute to Nanda on social media.
"It is with a very heavy heart we say goodbye to comedy great, Neel Nanda," reps for The Port Comedy Club posted Saturday on Instagram. "Absolutely shocked by the news. Such a positive force for comedy and a huge loss to our community. Rest in Peace Neel," adding "Thank you for gracing our stage and piano, a great headliner, gone too soon."
Born in Atlanta, GA to Indian immigrant parents, Nanda's interest in comedy began as a young child, he told VC Reporter in a 2018 interview. He told the publication he would watch Comedy Central in middle school with a notebook in hand, writing down his favorite jokes, which he would retell at school.
"I didn't realize I was stealing jokes until I was in high school," said Nanda. "When I was in high school I started writing my own jokes using the structure of some of the jokes I had previously stolen. I filled up a notebook of jokes and didn't realize until college that I could go to an open mic and tell them. I actually had a friend read the notebook and tell me, ‘You know you can just go perform these, right?' I didn't know, but after a quick Google search I was off to the Laughing Skull open mic."
He began his association with Jimmy Kimmel in 2017, appearing in a 5-minute set. You can watch the clip below.
"I would say my proudest accomplishment thus far in comedy is performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!," Nanda told VCReporter. "I've always wanted to do a set on late night, and Jimmy Kimmel was my first choice. So the fact that it came together kind of blew my mind. I've performed on other networks like Comedy Central, Hulu, Viceland, etc., but Jimmy Kimmel was the first place I performed where my parents were a fan of the host.
Nanda hosted the weekly show "Unnecessary Evil" at the Westside Comedy Theater in Los Angeles, which was named one of the Top 10 stand-up comedy shows at the time in the city by LA Weekly.
He also appeared on Comedy Central's Adam Devine's House Party, Hulu's Coming to the Stage and Viceland's Flophouse.
Matt Rife is among comedians who are remembering Nanda on social media.
