Bob Lazarus

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on January 5th, 2009

Nick Zaino’s BostonComedy blog is reporting that Bob Lazarus has lost his fight with leukemia. “Laz” was diagnosed with the disease in the summer of 2007. As usual, the comics in Boston and surrounding area put on a few benefit shows to help out with the medical bills.

We knew him from having done a bunch of one-nighters with him back in the ’80s and ’90s.

He leaves behind a wife and daughter.

In our May-June 2003 issue, he was the subject of a Question 21. Here’s #10 from that interview:

10. In the “It Occurred Offstage” category, what Bob Lazarus story is most often retold by you or others?

Oh, there’s way too many. I had to consult Bill Braudis on this one and he has yet to give me his favorite, but he told me it would have to involve my driving exploits. So, I’m going to go with the time I was driving up to the white mountains with Paul Kozlowski, back in the days when I still smoked cigarettes. I was smoking a butt, while I was driving, and I went to throw it out the window when I was done. I know that’s littering, which I abhor, but when I smoked, I felt it was dangerous for someone like myelf to look down for a split second to find the ashtray. So, in the spirit of safety, I hurled my butt out the window, and it went out fine, but the head of the cigarette blew back through the window into my ear. And I didn’t know what had happened until I smelled burning flesh, which was my ear. As I screamed out in pain, I started whacking against my head and ear to get the fire out. Paul, meanwhile, was in the passenger seat, and had no idea what was happening, but he saw burning embers coming out of my head. He thought my brain was on fire. But, then, I’m sure that’s happend to most of your readers who smoke.

Services will be held at the Stanetsky Memorial Chapels in Canton, Ma on Tuesday afternoon. We’re sure there’ll be plenty of stories like that above being told early into Wednesday morning.

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