Watermelon-smashing comic Gallagher has died. He was 76.
Gallagher got his first break in 1975 with an appearance on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson -- though he wasn't smashing any fruit on stage yet. In the '80s, he would delight audiences by pulling out a huge mallet and crushing all sorts of fruits and vegetables -- always ending his routine with a watermelon. Guests in the first few rows of his shows would generally wear ponchos or raincoats.
Gallagher had been in ill health for a while and died in hospice care this morning (Friday) in Palm Beach, California. He's survived by two adult children.