Standup comedian John Mulrooney, who briefly hosted \u201cThe Late Show\u201d in 1987, has died. He was 67.<\/p>\n
Mulrooney died \u201csuddenly\u201d on Dec. 29, 2025, at his home in Coxsackie, New York, the Times Union<\/a> reported. A cause of death was not shared.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just stunned,\u201d Mulrooney\u2019s coworker Steve Van Zandt told the outlet. \u201cTo talk to somebody less than two weeks ago, and he had mentioned what he was doing for Christmas, and he was looking forward to 2026 because he had a pretty full calendar \u2026 It\u2019s all so unexpected. It\u2019s still sinking in.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout his career as a standup comedian, Mulrooney made appearances at The Improvisation, The World Famous Comedy Store and The Laugh Factory. He briefly helmed Fox\u2019s \u201cThe Late Show\u201d in 1987 after Joan Rivers\u2019 exit. <\/p>\n Mulrooney went on to host Fox\u2019s weekly standup comedy showcase \u201cComic Strip: Live\u201d and regularly guest hosted \u201cThe Pat Sajak Show.\u201d <\/p>\n Mulrooney also had a long career in radio, debuting \u201cMulrooney in the Morning\u201d on iHeartRadio in 2014. He embarked on an unexpected new career path in 2011 when he became a rookie for the Coxsackie Police Department at age 52.<\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/b>Former \u2018Voice\u2019 contestant arrested for vehicular homicide<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Adam Sandler praised Mulrooney\u2019s talents during a 2024 episode of \u201cThe Joe Rogan Experience,\u201d<\/a> calling him a tough comedic act to follow.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember Mulrooney would just destroy a room,\u201d Sandler said. \u201cHe was so loose and would dominate the room, and then they\u2019d bring you up, and you\u2019re like, \u2018Oh, goodness gracious.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/C56VFJB5JNAO7PVP3BA4CECCJU.png?auth=57a4e8c4265e1acb43c96962eb1d3abf07a06f55a052a18fc4515635adae0729&width=1280&smart=true&quality=90\")