Reggie McFadden, Def Comedy Jam and In Living Color comic, dies at 57
Reggie McFadden, the stand-up comic and actor who broke through on Def Comedy Jam and spent a season on In Living Color, has died. He was 57.
His sister, author Bernice McFadden, confirmed the death to The Hollywood Reporter. The confirmation was published on 5 October 2026.
The family was notified by the U.S. State Department that McFadden died in Tanzania. He had lived there for about 18 years. His family did not yet know when he died or his cause of death.
McFadden got his big break on HBO's Def Comedy Jam, a stand-up showcase that helped launch Black comics of the early 1990s. He appeared on the series in 1991, performing sharp, observational humour drawn from everyday life.
He then joined Fox's In Living Color, a sketch series built around short comedy scenes and characters. He appeared in 23 episodes across the fifth and final season in 1993-94, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
McFadden later starred on Fox's 1998 comedy Getting Personal. He played Officer Burt in a 2001 episode of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm.
His survivors include his mother, Vivian, his sons Jaron and Myles, his sisters Bernice and Misty, and his brother Kris.
