Three years ago, one of the few people that I've never met yet I considered to be one of my heroes, passed away. It was April Fool's Day of 2005. No crueler joke could have been played. Turns out it was no joke at all. A tragic passing of a stand-up comedian that was on the verge of legendhood.

Here is what I wrote on that fateful day on my old blog...

Mitch's style was certainly one-of-a-kind. Best described (by me) as a "stoner" comedian, he was one funny dude. Somehow, he was able to speak slowly (you wondered if all the synapses were firing) yet come across as articulate. It was as if one could watch his comedic thought develop into a joke. The result was delicately worded jokes that showed a deep command of the English language.

Unfortunately, it was the drugs that ended up getting Mitch. How many great young minds and artists have succombed to illicit substances? Jimi? Chris Farley? Belushi? Countless musicians from Janis Joplin to Bradley Nowell (Sublime). To quote South Park, "Drugs are just bad, um-kay." With that said, some of Mitch's funniest stuff had to do with drug-related events. He had a snippit about trippin' on acid in the woods and seeing a bear, where he stated "Smokey is much more intense in person."

Perhaps my favorite Mitch quote of all-time is drug-related, his "I used to do drugs, I still do, but I used ta too." I'm not in any way condoning the use of drugs but drug use was a part of Mitch Hedberg. After his death, his parents issued a statement that acknowledged Mitch's drug use and the role it likely played in his death. In any manner, the world is not as comedic as it could be without Mr. Hedberg.

Burn some cinnamon roll scented incense to honor Mitch. As most know, I've traveled around a bit and I think I've left a trail of Mitch Hedberg fans in my wake. I hope people enjoy his stuff at least half as much as I do. Laughter is always good my friends.

"I'm tired of chasing my dreams. I'm just gonna find out where they're going and hook up with them later." - Mitch Hedberg