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British Comedian Ian Cognito Dies Onstage at Age 60 While Performing Stand-up Routine

British Comedian Ian Cognito Dead Onstage.
British comedian Ian Cognito performing onstage in 2012. YouTube

British comedian Ian Cognito died on Thursday, April 11, while onstage performing his stand-up routine, according to multiple outlets. He was 60 years old.

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CNN reported that the comic, whose real name was Paul Barbieri, became ill during his set at the Atic bar in Bicester, England. The venue’s owner, Ryan Mold, confirmed that he was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene shortly after 10 p.m.

Mold detailed the incident to CNN, which he said took place when Cognito was roughly “halfway through his set.” According to the proprietor, “He sat down, put his head and arms back; his shoulders were twitching. … [The] audience thought it was part of his set.”

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Cognito was breathing heavily while sitting on a stool and went quiet for five minutes, BBC News reported.

Since the performer had mentioned a stroke moments earlier, the stall in the show “didn’t seem unusual” as he had a “flamboyant character on stage,” Mold told CNN. After a few minutes, fellow comedians in the crowd realized Cognito might need medical attention, so an ambulance was called and a paramedic who was at the venue began CPR. Other attendees were ushered out.

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Andrew Bird, who runs the Lone Wolf Comedy Club, revealed to BBC News that Cognito was not feeling well before he went onstage, but he wanted to perform anyway. “He was like his old self. His voice was loud,” he recalled. “I was thinking, ‘He’s having such a good gig.’”

Bird went on to point out that the comedian joked, “Imagine if I died in front of you lot here,” while making fun of his health.

“We were called at 22:11 last night to Crown Walk in Bicester to a medical emergency,” the ambulance service told CNN. “We sent a rapid response vehicle and an ambulance crew but sadly one patient passed away at the scene.”

Comedian Jack Whitehall paid tribute to Cognito following news of his death. “Gigged with him when i first started out and he was always so much fun, had his own mythology on the circuit his exploits where [sic] legendary. A true maverick,” he tweeted on Friday, April 12. “Hope he’s found somewhere to hang his coat in heaven.”

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