Comedian and Rel Co-Creator Kevin Barnett Dead at 32

As first announced by comedy club the Stand on Twitter today, the New York comedy community has lost one of its own with the news that Kevin Barnett has died at the age of 32. Several other outlets including Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter have confirmed the news. The cause of Barnett’s death is not yet known, but he reportedly died while vacationing in Mexico, where he posted his last Instagram photo two days ago.

In addition to his work as a stand-up, Barnett served as a writer and performer on shows like Lucas Bros Moving Co., Friends of the People, The Carmichael Show, Broad City, and most recently Rel, which he also co-created and executive produced. Additionally, he co-hosted the Round Table of Gentlemen podcast and developed multiple television projects with Josh Rabinowitz, including an NBC comedy back in 2015 as well as a Comedy Central series put into development last year.

Here are just some of the tributes that have been pouring in for Barnett online today:

Rest in peace Kevin Barnett 🙏 pic.twitter.com/FM6ctlQEDo

Kevin Barnett was an incredible comedian and writer, contributing to Broad City, the stand-up community and beyond. He’ll be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/4uyoMNkGk0

Dear Last Podcast family,
It’s with a heavy heart we inform you of the passing of Kevin Barnett. The joy he brought to our lives is the greatest gift we have ever received. Remind your friends you love them because you never know when you’re see them again. We love you KB.

Goodbye to our brother: The thought of never hearing another one of your brilliantly layered stories saddens us. You were a comedic savant. Being able to absorb your genius during our many wonderful experiences together fundamentally changed our perspective on life. About a week before your passing, we had dinner along with Ilana and Josh. You were your usual birdluger self: confident yet fully capable of displaying your vulnerabilities in a humorous way. Your story about harassing Josh during New Year’s literally had us in tears. As we were walking into an elevator, you said to me: what is evidence? Per usual, I had a difficult time deciphering the meaning of the phrase. We stayed up til 2 in the morning, laughing and reminiscing about the good ole times. That night, the evidence was clear: it reminded us why comedy is such a beautiful art. And why your particular brand of comedy stood above the rest. The friends you make along your journey make the ride so much more enriching. Your spirit was ubiquitous. You inspired us to be better artists. But more importantly you inspired us to be better humans. Upon the conclusion of our night, we hugged and said we love each other. We never thought that’d be the last time we saw you. We will miss you so much. Love you brother. Rest easy my nigga. Kevin may be gone. But: BIRDLUGER is forever!!!

A post shared by thelucasbros (@thelucasbros) on Jan 22, 2019 at 12:02pm PST

Rest In Peace Kevin Barnett. Too young, just too, too young...
Kevin Barnett Dies: Comedian Passes Away Tragically at 32 – https://t.co/p4ppGL1VsW https://t.co/UJcWrCb6s0

Kevin Barnett was a great standup, but I knew him as a smart, funny, talented TV writer and just a really sweet guy who made the insanity of the late nights more fun. Condolences to his family and friends. Can't believe I'm writing this.

Kevin Barnett was a beautifully fearless and funny soul. My heart aches for his family and all who ever had the chance to work with him. RIP https://t.co/CM9YRzpWwq

Kevin Barnett was the greatest, most positive fucking dude, and this is absolutely tragic.

In shock over the passing of Kevin Barnett. So so awful.

RIP Kevin Barnett. Great comic and super nice person. I remember the first time I saw him. He had just moved to NYC and stole the show. Sweet guy who will be missed.

RIP Kevin Barnett a true talent taken too early.

We all will miss @Fatboybarnett, anybody who met the dude fell in love with him except for some audiences. It is unspeakably sad. We love you so much Bird Luger

Kevin Barnett was one of the funniest, most creative writers. It's crazy to think about everything he would have done in the future. It's all so incredibly sad.

It's a rarity to know someone so effortlessly funny who was crushing it in comedy and making his dreams come true, yet was SO low key about all of it. Kevin Barnett was SO funny and genuine and unassuming. Rest in peace, bird luger. Much love to his close friends + family.

RIP Kevin Barnett pic.twitter.com/EnEULz6dB9

RIP Kevin Barnett. Heartbroken to hear of your passing. A beautiful soul and a hilarious comedian.

Update, January 25: According to E! News, an autopsy found that Barnett died due to a “Non Traumatic Hemorrhage, caused by pancreatitis.” A U.S. Department of State official released a statement confirming the news, saying, in part, “We offer our sincerest condolences to his family on their loss, and we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.” As of today, Barnett’s body is still located in Tijuana, where the autopsy was conducted.

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