THE ONE WHERE KEVIN FOX KILLS A GUY

I asked Vancouver comic KEVIN FOX to contribute an Edmonton memory. A nationally touring headliner, Kevin has done almost everything there is to do in Canadian comedy including his own one-hour special for CTV and The Comedy Network and performances performances for Madly Off in All Directions on CBC Radio, the Halifax Comedy Festival, Comedy at Club 54, Just for Laughs and the Global Comedy Festival.

This is his story, which BILL COWEN remembers as taking place in June or July of 1999.


  "I was headlining Yuks on Bourbon St at West Ed Mall. I was about 25 minutes into my hour set when, reason unbeknownst to me, I felt like I had immediately lost like half the audience.

What I didn't know is a gentleman had fallen backwards in his chair and was suffering a major cardiac event. He was having a major heart attack. Right there. Right now. Of course I didn't realize this in the moment, I was just curious how I went from crushing to indifference in a matter of seconds?

The manager of the club at the time had a waitress send me up a note that read, as follows "Someone just had a heart attack, keep going". I of course did not "keep going" I immediately stopped the show and asked for the house lights to be turned on and by this time Paramedics had just arrived and began performing CPR on the gentleman.

I spoke to the audience and don't remember exactly what I said, but the gist of it was 'I don't know if you're religious or atheist but either say a prayer or turn your energy towards this man and give ourselves to him in this moment" He died there on the floor of the Edmonton Yuk Yuks after what seemed like an eternity of Paramedics attempting to save his life. Of course the show was over at this point.

His name was Jim Sargeant and his family sent me a lovely letter saying that he went out with a smile on his face. I don't think my comedy or hilarity was his demise. Most likely his diet.

But the MC that night, Bill Cowen called me 'Killer' for the rest of my life.

But I literally did kill that night."

My Kevin Fox story is much less interesting. It took place at the  104 and 102 location of the Sidetrack in 2007 and involves him losing the money Kathleen McGee paid him to an audience member in a coin-flipping wager in a about three seconds before he'd even finished leaving the stage.

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