Comedian Gallagher Retires Live Act Following Heart Attack

(AP) MARION, Ohio – The comedian Gallagher says he’s had his fill of performing live onstage for crowds and is retiring after 32 years.

The Los Angeles-based comedian, whose full name is Leo Anthony Gallagher, told an Ohio radio station on Thursday that his retirement plans include posting his writings online for fans and possibly appearing at private parties.

Gallagher is known for smashing watermelons with a sledgehammer. He had a heart attack March 14 before a performance at a suburban Dallas bar. He came out of a medically induced coma this week and was released from a hospital Wednesday.

He told WDCM in Marion that it sometimes didn’t matter how clever his jokes were if the audience couldn’t hold their liquor. He said the job is like “baby-sitting people who can’t handle alcohol.”