Cardis Cardell Willis (August 3, 1937 – February 10, 2007), better known as Cardell Willis and often billed as C. Cardell Willis, was an American comedian in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. He was locally known mostly in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Early life and education

Willis grew up in

Forest, Mississippi Forest is a city and the county seat of Scott County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,684 at the 2010 census and the population is a minority-majority. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a tot ...

. He finished high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he moved when he was 17.

Career

Death and legacy

He was mentor to

Will Durst Will Durst (born March 18, 1952) is an American political satirist. He has been likened to Mort Sahl and Will Rogers. Early life Durst was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He went to 14 different schools before graduating from Waukesha South ...

before his eventual fame in San Francisco, and Dobie Maxwell, as well as Richard Halasz, and Chris Barnes, all of whom are natives to

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. He eventually developed

Alzheimers Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term memory, remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can incl ...

, which robbed him of his ability to tell the storied jokes he was known for. He died on February 10, 2007, in a group home at age 69 after suffering two

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

s. He was buried at Graceland Cemetery in Milwaukee. A tribute show occurred to honor Willis' contributions and generosity to his peers and community. The MC was Dobie Maxwell, who called Willis his " comedy father". The tribute show was donation-supported, and the remaining proceeds were given to the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

, in which Willis was a Scoutmaster and had received the

Silver Beaver Award The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of Scouting America. Recipients of the award are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council. Those deemed ...

. According to onmilwaukee.com, Mayor Barrett designated April 22, 2012, as Cardell Willis Day.

References

External links

Archives of Willis from jsonline.com
* *
Dobie Maxwell's reaction to Willis' death
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Cardis Cardell 1937 births 2007 deaths African-American male comedians African-American comedians American male comedians 20th-century American comedians People from Forest, Mississippi Comedians from Wisconsin 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people Comedians from Mississippi