Comedian Ricarlo Flanagan dies from Covid-19 complications at 40

Ricarlo Flanagan, an actor, rapper and stand-up comedian who was a semifinalist on “Last Comic Standing,” died over the weekend of Covid-19 complications, his talent representative confirmed to Variety. He was 40.

“Sadly this pandemic has taken the life of an extremely talented performer and even nicer human being. Ricarlo will be greatly missed,” his agent Stu Golfman told Variety.

Friends have created a GoFundMe campaign to provide assistance to Flanagan’s family.

“The news of a loved one’s death is never something easy to hear, let alone if you are far away from the individual,” reads the GoFundMe’s description. “Our dear friend has suddenly passed away and sadly was far from his family. Ricarlo Flanagan was a loving son, grandson, cousin, nephew and friend with many amazing talents. He brought laughter to every room he walked in. We would like to get him home to his family in Cleveland, Ohio, so his family can put him to rest. We ask that you please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. Please help us with any contribution you are able to give. This will be greatly appreciated, not only by us but most importantly by his family.”

Earlier this month, Flanagan shared on Twitter that he had contracted Covid-19, saying, “This COVID is no joke. I don’t wish this on anybody.”

Flanagan released his debut comedy album, “Man Law,” in 2013. The comedian went on to compete on the ninth season of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” becoming a semifinalist on the competition show. NBC is owned by NBC News’ parent company, NBCUniversal.

In addition to comedy, Flanagan was an actor, with recurring roles on the eighth season of Showtime’s “Shameless” and the Disney Plus series “Walk the Prank.” Flanagan had also made one-episode guest star appearances on “The Mick,” “The Carmichael Show,” “Insecure,” “The Neighborhood,” “Kidding,” “Room 104” and Spectrum’s “Mad About You” revival. According to Golfman, his most recent credits include an episode of Peacock’s upcoming comedy series “Bust Down” and the new Aubrey Plaza movie “Emily the Criminal,” which marked Flanagan’s first official film role.

Flanagan also had a rap career under the name of Father Flanagn. He had released three music albums: 2010’s “Death of Davinchi,” 2019’s “An Opus Inspired by Andre Martin” and 2020’s “Hope You're Proud.” His latest album, “Both Sides of the Brain,” was set to release on Tuesday, according to his Twitter.