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| Comedian Johnny Yune / Yonhap |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Popular Korean American comedian Johnny Yune, whose Korean name is Yune Jong-seung, died in Los Angeles on March 8 (local time). He was 84.
He had been receiving treatment in the U.S. after experiencing a brain hemorrhage in 2016.
Born in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong Province in 1936, and raised in Seoul, Yune moved to the U.S. to attend Ohio Wesleyan University. He renounced his Korean citizenship and became a U.S. citizen in 1978.
Yune earned fame on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," appearing on the show 34 times in the 1970s and 1980s. He was one of the few Asian stand-up comedians to make it big. He also acted in a number of films.
Meanwhile, he shot to fame in Korea in 1989 after hosting the "Johnny Yune Show," the first American-style talk show here. He regained Korean citizenship, becoming a dual citizen in 2013.
