Realizing your own mortality is a scary, jarring thing. When Brittany Murphy passed away a couple years back, I remember thinking – wow, she’s just a 29 year old girl… not much older than myself. It’s terrifying to realize that if you don’t take care of yourself; if you don’t care of the only body you’re given (unless of course my experiments work), nature will not wait for you to fix the mistakes. So maybe consider putting down that last Patron shot, or squishing out that cigarette, or not going in for sixths at Thanksgiving dinner (woops. Messed that one up already).

It’s with a heavy heart that we report comedian Patrice O’Neal passed away this morning from complications following a stroke a month ago. A stroke (the sudden disturbance of blood supply) can be caused by one of two things – a blockage in the blood stream or a sudden hemorrhage  in the brain. While I’m not sure which one O’Neal suffered, it’s sad to believe that it could have been prevented. The actor and comedian, who has been a Comedy Central staple (including a recent appearance at Charlie Sheen’s roast), has also guest starred on such shows as The Office and Arrested Development. He was only 41 years old.

Today, in honor of a man who has made us laugh through the years, we’re getting together with friends to celebrate the joy that laughter can bring us even when we’re feeling the saddest. We’re also adding a heaping serving of vegetables instead of french fries and a chicken breast instead of steak to our dinners.

RIP Patrice O’Neal, you will be missed!

Via MSNBC