Sam Kinison is remembered as the innovator of "rage comedy," a style defined by the punctuation of a comedy routine with seemingly out-of-control fits of screaming and howling. Kinison began his "performance" career as a Pentecostal minister, but soon drifted into comedy clubs where he caught the attention of Rodney Dangerfield. Dangerfield provided Kinison with showcase bookings in his own nightclub and a role in his movie Back to School (1986). The comedian also appeared on Saturday Night Live, an HBO special, and the short-lived TV sitcom Charlie Hoover. Ironically, Kinison had recently completed successful treatment for his well-documented substance abuse when he was accidentally killed by a teenage drunk driver who professed to having been one of his fans.

Further Reading:

Kinison, Bill, and Steve Delsohn. Brother Sam: The Short, Spectacular Life of Sam Kinison. New York, William Morrow, 1994.