Comedian Robert Schimmel Dies from Injuries Sustained in Daughter’s Car Accident

X-rated comedian and frequent guest on Howard Stern’s radio show, Robert Schimmel, passed away Friday night in a Phoenix hospital as a result of fatal injuries sustained in his 19-year-old daughter’s car accident. Schimmel’s daughter, Aliyah, swerved to avoid a separate accident on a Phoenix highway when her vehicle flipped and went rolling off the road.

The late comedian’s 11-year-old son was in the vehicle at the time of the accident, but he was released from the hospital just hours after the crash. Aliyah Schimmel remains hospitalized in Phoenix to receive medical care for injuries that are not considered to be life-threatening, according to the NY Daily News.

Throughout his career, Schimmel was known for cracking jokes about his own serious health issues, which included a 1998 heart attack and 2000 non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis. Prior to his death, he was on the verge of separating from his second wife, but he is survived by his five children – Aliyah, Jacob, Jessica, Max, and Sam – as well as his father, Otto; sister, Sandy and brother, Jeffrey.

Schimmel earned his first big break courtesy of Rodney Dangerfield when he was invited to perform on HBO’s Young Comedians Special in 1986. To go along with his frequent guest spots on The Howard Stern Show, he also appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on numerous occasions.

His manager, Lee Kernis of Brillstein Entertainment Partners, issued a statement to commemorate his comedic legacy, which reads, “Robert was always the butt of his own jokes. When he would talk about the failings of his marriages, his relationships, or having kids, he always made the joke about his inability to ever win at the end.”