Stand-up comic Perry Kurtz, 73, was struck and killed by a car in Los Angeles on August 15 (the driver, who had multiple driving infractions, was arrested). The Phila. native got his start as an advertising artist; Kurtz started his comedy career in the 1970s, and over the decades played clubs and theaters all across the country, including the well-known Dangerfield’s, the Comedy Store, and the Hollywood Pantages Theater. He also appeared on season 8 of America’s Got Talent (on which he got the hook). Kurtz acted in a handful of TV shows and movies (Partners in Crime, Smooch My Smackers, Wait Crimes). He told Voyage LA in 2021 that by the turn of the century, “the comedy boom had been destroyed by all the stand-up comedy on TV. Why pay for it? So, I moved into senior and convalescent entertainment, along with private and corporate shows, and never looked back. Because of my interactive improvisational skills, every one of my shows stars the audience, and no two shows are the same, as I have no idea what I will do onstage until I do it.”
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