Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Comedic sharpshooter Irwin Barker dies
Winnipeg-born comedian/writer Irwin Barker died early Monday in Toronto. (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES)
One of the most intelligent, inventive and unique voices in Canadian comedy has been silenced.
Winnipeg-born comedian/writer Irwin Barker died early Monday in Toronto after a lengthy battle with a rare form of soft-tissue cancer called leiomyosarcoma. He was 58.
He was diagnosed with the disease in June 2007 and informed that he had a year to live, but he defied the odds and confounded his doctors by not only surviving for a couple of extra years but also continuing to work as a writer on CBC’s The Rick Mercer Report while regularly touring and performing to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.
Winnipeg Comedy Festival artistic director Al Rae called Barker the smartest comedian he’s ever encountered.
"His comedy was incredibly intelligent; he’s somebody who obviously had a very high IQ," said Rae. "He was obviously a very concrete thinker ... but he also had to be a profoundly good abstract thinker in order to look at things in other ways, which is the secret to comedy.
"In that sense, I would say he was probably the most well-rounded, intelligent person I’ve ever had a close relationship with."
This Hour Has 22 Minutes star Mark Critch, with whom Barker performed frequently — including a 2008 trip to Afghanistan to entertain Canadian troops — said the Winnipeg-born funnyman brought a unique perspective to the stage and the writers’ room.
"Everybody called him ‘The Professor,’" said Critch. "He would take such time crafting a joke to make it just right before he would even try it out. He was a great, great craftsman, and he could always take people by surprise.
"A lot of comics get up on stage and they’re like machine guns, trying to mow the audience down. Irwin was like a sharpshooter."
History
Updated on Monday, June 21, 2010 at 12:17 PM CDT:
Adds Barker's age
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September 5, 2010
9th Winnipeg Marian Eucharistic Conference
“I am with you always, until the end of the world”(Mt 28:20). Come and listen to seven dynamic, inspiring speakers (Fr.Iannuzzi, was ass’t to Fr. Amorth, chief exorcist of Rome; Susan Tassone on the ...
10 Comments
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Posted by: AntiApathy
June 21, 2010 at 4:52 PM
Not only was he funny, he was a very, very good man.
Posted by: cmac
June 21, 2010 at 4:03 PM
So sad. I also recommend the documentary mentioned above.
What a talented man.
Posted by: craig
June 21, 2010 at 2:33 PM
Great comic. R.I.P.
Posted by: gdwpg69
June 21, 2010 at 2:21 PM
I seen Irwin a few times in Winnipeg do his stand up show. I always enjoyed it. He will be missed.
Posted by: grumpy old man
June 21, 2010 at 12:27 PM
That's a shame. RIP Irwin...
Posted by: Terminator Salvatore
June 21, 2010 at 11:43 AM
My condolences to the family. He weathered his diagnosis, seemingly, incredibly well, incorporating it into his act. Great strength.
Posted by: JP
June 21, 2010 at 11:17 AM
There is a great documentary called "that's my time" that was made in 2008 about his fight with the disease.
http://www.irwinbarker.com/thats_my_time.shtml
Posted by: AgentFrank
June 21, 2010 at 11:13 AM
A great loss to the community
Posted by: BOMBERZ
June 21, 2010 at 11:04 AM
RIP buddy.
Posted by: Cymru
June 21, 2010 at 10:38 AM
If there is a punch line to this sad story, Irwin will know it. Rest easy, my friend.