RIP Chris Cotton — Comedy Central Comedian Dead At 32
His wife is due to give birth to their first child in February.
Instagram Comedian Chris Cotton, who wrote and starred in Comedy Central's online talk show Every Damn Day, has died. He was just 32.
How did Chris Cotton die? Let's take a look at what we know so far about both his life and his death.
1. He is survived by his wife of eight years — who's expecting their baby in 2020.
Cotton was born on January 16, 1987. He is survived by his wife, Ericalynn Cotton. The couple met when they were teenagers and celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary in May. Even more tragically, Ericalynn is expecting the couple's first child on February 11, 2020. The couple has a . baby registry on Amazon that fans are contributing to.
2. He's from Philadelphia
He is the son of Henry and Cheryl Cotton from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Bok High School and Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. He made his national breakthrough via his work for Comedy Central.
He was the red carpet host for the Bruce Willis roast in July 2018, and also appeared in the 2015 web series Carpool Rules and in the 2017 indie film Diwal'oween.
3. Cotton been hosting Every Damn Day for a year and recently published a memoir.
Cotton joined Comedy Central's online daily talk show Every Damn Day as a writer in 2018 and was made the co-host of the show later that same year. Cotton also recently published a memoir called What My Dad Did: My Theory on Joke Writing.
4. A GoFundMe has been set up to help his family.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Ericalynn and their baby. “If Chris ever made you laugh, enraged or shake your head please pay that forward with a donation,” the page reads. As of this writing, it has raised more than $52,000 of its $50,00 goal.
5. Tributes have poured in from comedians.
Comedian Dave Attell took to Twitter to write, "What a terrible night, I am still in shock over the loss of Chris Cotton..he was young, fun and had so much left to do…..It's tragic. My heart goes out to his family."
Comedian Hannibal Buress also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Cotton: "A few weeks ago Chris Cotton randomly hit me up to thank me for a gig I got him YEARS ago that led to some other work for him. I was in the middle of booking Isola Fest and booked him during the call. I was psyched to see him this weekend. RIP."
6. How did Chris Cotton die?
According to the coroner's office of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, morbid obesity contributed to Cotton's death. He was found slumped over in his car. The autopsy revealed that he had a blood clot in his lungs that caused his heart to give out. The medical examiner wrote, "I conclude the cause of death was due to pulmonary thromboembolism, right lung complicated by cardiomegaly [an enlarged heart.] Significant conditions contributing to death is morbid obesity.”
Memorial services in Philadelphia and New York City will be announced soon. The Loft City Winery in Philadelphia is planning an evening of comedy in Cotton's honor on January 6 at 8 PM.
Amy Lamare is a writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.