Who Was Judy Tenuta? Comedian Who Self-Styled As 'Goddess Of Love' Dies At 72

Judy Tenuta, a standup comedian who cheekily styled herself as the “Goddess of Love” and toured with George Carlin as she built her career in the 1980s golden age of comedy, passed away on Thursday. She was 72.

Tenuta's manager, Roger Neal, confirmed to The New York Times that her cause of death was ovarian cancer.

"She was a very funny, amazing performer," he said in a statement shared with The Associated Press, adding how it was always a "happy time to be around her."

Who was Judy Tenuta?

Tenuta previously claimed her date of birth was November 7, 1965, though she was actually born in 1949. "She was old school so she would never tell her real age, but now that she's gone we can tell her real age," Neal told in the statement.

Tenuta grew up in the Chicago suburb of Maywood, attending Catholic schools. She was the “isolated, petite flower” — Petite Flower becoming one of her stage nicknames — in a Catholic family that included six brothers. With her self-described "Love Goddess" persona, the comedian's on-stage style was brash and loud, critics have said, and mixed observational and insult humour with audience participation. Often, her performance was accompanied by an accordion.

Tenuta gained national attention in 1987 with On Location: Women of the Night, an HBO special in which she starred alongside Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Poundstone and Rita Rudner. In the 1988′s American Comedy Awards TV special, Tenuta was named best female comedy club performer opposite male winner Jerry Seinfeld. Other honorees that year for their club or screen work included Robin Williams, Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler.

She was a two-time Grammy nominee, getting back-to-back nominations in 1995 and 1996 for spoken word comedy album for Attention Butt Pirates and Lesbetarians and In Goddess We Trust.

She was a supporter of LGBTQ rights, took part in pride festivals and accounted members of the queer community as enthusiastic fans. On her website, she said that as an ordained minister of Judyism she was “available for same-sex marriages!”

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