Springfield native and New York-based comedian Kenny DeForest has died from injuries suffered after he was struck by a vehicle Friday near his home in Brooklyn, according to the organizer of a GoFundMe effort raising funds to help with his recovery.
DeForest was a former basketball player at Kickapoo High School and Drury University. He was a rising talent in the comedy industry.
A friend, Ryan Beck, organized the fundraiser three days ago. In an update, he wrote that DeForest died Wednesday in Kings County Hospital surrounded by his parents, family, and friends
“Kenny’s final moments included some of his favorite songs, stories of his childhood, and memories of his extensive positivity and joy for life.”
According to the GoFundMe page, DeForest was an organ donor. Beck wrote: “Even in death he will continue to make meaningful improvements in the lives of others.”
The accident happened Dec. 8. DeForest received neurological surgery to remove a piece of his skull and relieve pressure from a brain bleed at Kings County Hospital.
Nearly 2,000 people donated more than $167,000.
DeForest is also a writer and actor, with appearances on Comedy Central, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Late Show with James Corden, HBO’s “Crashing,” and TruTV’s “Friends of the People.”
His career began to hit its stride in 2015 when he was named one of Comedy Central’s “Funniest People to Watch” and was also included in the “50 Funniest People in Brooklyn” by Brooklyn Magazine.
Earlier this year DeForest released his stand-up special “You Don’t Know Who I Am?”
