Watermelon-smashing comedian Gallagher dead at 76

Leo Anthony Gallager, Jr., the comedian known mononymously as Gallagher whose high-energy comedy routines in the 1980s and 1990s sent smashed fruits and vegetables splattering over audiences, died on Friday. He was 76,  

Gallagher became popular for his "Sledge-o-Matic" prop routine, in which he would clobber food on-stage—most notably giant watermelons—with a massive sledgehammer. The title of the skit was a sendup to the "Veg-o-Matc" appliance popularized by saturation marketing on television in the 1960s. 

The comedian suffered from health problems in his later years, including several heart attacks. He was also hauled into court in the early 1990s after a fan was injured at one of his performances; he reportedly treated the courtroom as a comedy venue, drawing laughs from attendees and leading the presiding judge to call the experience "entertaining." (The court ultimately ruled in his favor.)

Gallagher is survived by two children.