Mike DeStefano (November 29, 1966 – March 6, 2011) was an American

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...

. He used material from his

heroin addiction Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. ...

, which began at age 15, and his recovery in brutally honest, profanity-laced routines. He was also a drug counselor to others.

Career

His first gig was in Florida, and that convinced him there was something to live for, and that he had options outside of taking his own life. His second gig was at a

Narcotics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous (NA), founded in 1953, describes itself as a "nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem." Narcotics Anonymous uses a 12-step model developed for people with varied subs ...

convention in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, where he stepped before the microphone after a rained-out pool party and started ranting about drugs. A regular at clubs in New York and around the country, DeStefano gained popularity after appearing on television on

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

’s ''

Live at Gotham ''Live at Gotham'' is an American stand-up comedy television show airing on Comedy Central. The show features up and coming stand-up comedians performing live at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York City New York, often called New York Cit ...

''. He also appeared on ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...

'',

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

's ''Whiteboyz in the Hood'' and other radio and television shows, and at popular comedy festivals, most notably

US Comedy Arts Festival The Comedy Festival, formerly known as the US Comedy Arts Festival, was a comedy festival that ran from 1995 to 2008. The festival included stand-up comedy performances, appearances by the casts of television shows, and has a film component calle ...

and Montreal's '' Just for Laughs'' festival. In 2010, he competed in the seventh season of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's ''

Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' is an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, and again in 2014 and 2015. Each season a comedian from an initially large group of hopefuls was picked as ...

'' and finished in fourth place. He is the comic used in the logo for the New York based restaurant and comedy clu
The Stand
On October 9, 2010, DeStefano appeared with Jim Norton,

Rich Vos Rich Vos (born June 30, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor. Since 2011, he has been the co-host of the podcast ''My Wife Hates Me'' with his wife, comedian Bonnie McFarlane. Early life Vos was raised in a Jewish family who ...

and Robert Kelly in the

stand-up special "Comics Anonymous"; all four comedians appearing in the special were former addicts who had been clean and sober for 10 years or more. DeStefano was also an executive producer on the special, which was dedicated to their friend, comedian

Greg Giraldo Gregory Carlos Giraldo (December 10, 1965 – September 29, 2010) was an American stand-up comedian, television personality, and lawyer. He is remembered for his appearances on Comedy Central's televised roast specials, and for his work on t ...

, who had died of a

drug overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014.

in September.

Personal life

DeStefano's wife, Franny, died of AIDS, which he talks about in "The Junkie and the Monk", recorded for

The Moth The Moth is a nonprofit group based in New York City, dedicated to the craft of storytelling. Founded in 1997, the organization presents a wide range of theme-based storytelling events across the United States and abroad, often featuring promine ...

on Jan 23, 2009.

Death

On March 6, 2011, Mike DeStefano died as a result of a heart attack. His death came hours after filming a video for funnyordie.com. DeStefano's funeral was held three days later on March 9 as well as March 10 at the Schuyler Hill Funeral Home in The Bronx.

Unfinished projects

DeStefano's death came just days before he was scheduled to perform his one-man show, ''A Cherry Tree in the Bronx'', in New York. He had just finished a run of shows titled ''Drugs, Disease and Death: A Comedy'', which was largely based on being HIV positive, his past drug addiction an
his wife Fran's death
several years earlier after her drug addiction and affliction with

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

Discography

*2010: ''OK Karma'' - released on

Stand Up! Records Stand Up! Records is an American independent comedy record label founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Grammy-winning producer Dan Schlissel. It has been called "the country's most respected indie comedy label." Stand Up! has released more than 2 ...

comedy label

References

External links

Mike DeStefano MySpaceMike DeStefano FacebookMike DeStefano Twitter
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Destefano, Mike 1966 births 2011 deaths Male actors from the Bronx American people of Italian descent American stand-up comedians Last Comic Standing contestants AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) Comedians from the Bronx 21st-century American comedians Stand Up! Records artists American male comedians