A comedian who appeared on “America's Got Talent” and “The Late Late Show with James Corden” died after being hit by a car in a hit-and-run crash in the Tarzana area Thursday night, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.
Perry Kurtz, 73, was struck by a gray Honda Civic as he crossed Ventura Boulevard east of Corbin Avenue around 11:20 p.m.
“The Honda continued eastbound without stopping, identifying itself or rendering aid as required by law,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.
Kurtz, who was from Philadelphia, was pronounced dead at the scene by responding paramedics, police said. A Los Angeles Police Department spokesman could not confirm whether Kurtz was hit in a crosswalk or not.
The suspected driver, Nathon Jaimes, 18, of Reseda, was arrested at his home around 3:20 a.m. and booked on suspicion of hit-and-run causing death, a felony, according to arrest records. He was released Friday on $30,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 13.
On Thursday night, Kurtz had posted a short video on Facebook of himself performing during karaoke hour at Pat's Cocktail Lounge, a bar about 10 miles from the crash site.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Kurtz was a comedian for 51 years. “Goal: make everyone laugh at least once. Maybe twice…” his profile reads.
He began his career in 1973, when he took a group of friends to participate in a talent show at a New Jersey saloon, he told Shoutout LA in a 2022 interview. He won $250, then decided he should be a comedian and moved to San Francisco six years later to pursue comedy, he said.
Kurtz rapped in front of an unimpressed group of judges, including Howard Stern, on the eighth season of “America's Got Talent” and was eliminated from the competition. He appeared on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” in 2018 and played a guitar with his tongue. His name appears on the side of the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, where he was a regular paid guest since 1989.
