Judy Tenuta was a stand-up comedian who appeared on several TV shows. “Weird”Al Yankovic died of ovarian carcinoma in Studio City on October 6, 2012. She was 72.
It is well-known to fans as “The Love Goddess,” Tenuta’s stage act was delivered in a shrill, loud, sometimes gravelly voice and often included an accordion. Sometimes her style was a bit too shocking. One scene saw an audience member open their mouths so that she could drop her chewed gum inside.
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During her first solo stand-up performance, Tenuta shocked the audiences by dressing up as the Virgin Mary, and after being encouraged by her friends to incorporate an accordion into her routine, she began to develop the character into her iconic persona as the wisecracking “Love Goddess.” She regularly dressed in wild costumes made up of Aphrodite dresses, feather boots, egg bras, nippy cup necklace and gauzy capes, and used a variety of props.
In addition to a variety of guest roles on TV, some movies, she hosted a popular HBO Special that featured her contemporaries Rita Rudner Rita Rudner Martin Short, Paula Poundstone, and Rita Rudner.
Born on November 7, 1949, in Oak Park, IL, Tenuta took an improv comedy class with the Chicago improv group The Second City and shortly after began opening for other comedians in Chicago throughout the ’70s.
By the late 1980s — around the start of the “golden age of stand-up — Tenuta was sharing stages with the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Reiser, Sinbad, Jay Leno, DeGeneres, Rudner and Poundstone. Also, she did stand-up for such TV shows. Late Night with David Letterman – One Night Stand, The Pat Sajak Show and Comics Unleashed. The Dennis Miller Show and Gotham Comedy Live. An Evening at the Improv Among others. She was also seen on Hollywood Squares, Comedy Central Roasts and Celebrity Wife Swap: Who Wants To Date a Comedian? Match GameAnd in the documentariesSam Kinison, Stage Door Divas. Why We Laugh: Funny Women. When Stand-Up Comics Rule the World. And the future The Stalking Emo.
Her distinctive voice was the reason she was chosen for roles in such toon fare. Duckman, Bruno the Kid Space Ghosts Coast to Coast Johnny Bravo Mighty Magiswords
Tenuta appeared in about a half-dozen episodes of CBS’ short-lived Saturday-morning series The Weird Al Show in 1997And was in the veteran song parodist’s videos for and “White & Nerdy” and “Headline News.”
She was an outspoken advocate for gay rights and has amassed a following in the LGBTQ community. During the early years of her career, Tenuta frequently performed at gay bars and clubs around Chicago, perform at and appeared as a grand marshal for numerous gay pride festivals and even became ordained as a minister to officiate same-sex marriages.
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