Judy Tenuta – Bio, Death, Family, Net Worth, Career, Facts, Age, Wiki

Judy Tenuta was an American comedian, actress, and comedy musician. She was known for her whimsical and brash persona of “The Love Goddess“, mixing insult comedy, observational humor, self-promotion, and bawdy onstage antics. She wrote two comedy books and received two nominations for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. During the 1970s, she began her comedy career performing openers and small-time shows on the Chicago comedy circuit.

Tenuta’s use of her voice in her stand-up act lent itself to voice-over work in several animated programs. This included doing the voice of Edna on Duckman, Munch Kelly on Cow and Chicken in the banned episode “Buffalo Gals”, Black Widow on Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and as herself in Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist.  In addition, she appeared in numerous film and television roles, including the dominatrix disciplinarian “Samantha Rottweiler” in Butch Camp, and the loud-mouthed librarian “Mrs. Holler” in Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide.

Judy Tenuta Death: How did she die?

Judy Tenuta, a brash stand-up who cheekily styled herself as the “Love Goddess” and toured with George Carlin as she built her career in the 1980s golden age of comedy, died on Thursday (October 6, 2022). She died in Studio City, California, on at the age of 72, from stage 4 ovarian cancer (death cause), with which she had been diagnosed in 2020. She dies at home in Los Angeles, with her family around her, publicist Roger Neal told The Associated Press. “She was a very funny, amazing performer,” Neal said, and it was always a “happy time to be around her.”

“Devastated to hear of the passing of my dear, dear friend, the lovely Miss Judy Tenuta. I can’t believe she’s gone,” tweeted Weird Al Yankovic, who worked with her on his 1990s TV series and a 2006 music video. “Earth has truly lost a goddess.” Michael McKean, of “Spinal Tap” fame, tweeted, “One of a kind. Damn.” She will be interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

What was Judy Tenuta Famous For?

• Judy was an American comedian, actress, and comedy musician. 
• Judy was famous for her act which was primarily structured around an exaggerated, campy, and offbeat persona that was referred to primarily as “The Love Goddess”. 

Who are Judy Tenuta’s Parents?

Born on November 7, 1949, Judy Tenuta was from Oak Park, Illinois, the USA. She was American by nationality and her ethnicity was American-White. For the last time, she celebrated her 72nd birthday in 2021. Her birth name was Judy Lynn Tenuta. She was born as one of nine siblings. She took birth to a Roman Catholic family to a Polish mother, Joann, and an Italian father, Caesar.

She grew up in a staunchly Irish-Catholic neighborhood, graduating from Immaculate Heart of Mary High School in Westchester, Illinois, and attended the University of Illinois at Chicago where she majored in theater. Her interest in comedy began when she took an improv comedy class with the Chicago improv group “The Second City”.

What does Judy Tenuta do for a living?

• Judy Tenuta began her comedy career performing openers and small-time shows on the Chicago comedy circuit during the 1970s. 
• During her first performance, she shocked audiences by dressing up as the Virgin Mary, and after being encouraged by her friends to incorporate an accordion into her routine, she began to develop the character into her iconic persona as the wisecracking “Love Goddess”. 
• After building a fiery reputation as one of the “hottest young comics around,” she left Chicago during the 1980s and moved to New York City to host an HBO Comedy Special with Ellen DeGeneres, Rita Rudner, and Paula Poundstone. 
• At that time, she uprooted again, moving to Los Angeles, where she published her book Full Frontal Tenudity about life in Hollywood. 
• During her time in LA, she harbored a fiercely independent attitude, openly rejecting Hollywood beauty standards and celebrity life. 
• She continued to perform on national tours for years afterward, making special visits to the Chicago circuit. 
• Likewise, her voice in her stand-up act lent itself to voice-over work in several animated programs. This included doing the voice of Edna on Duckman, Munch Kelly on Cow and Chicken in the banned episode “Buffalo Gals”, Black Widow on Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and as herself in Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. 
• She also appeared in numerous film and television roles, including the dominatrix disciplinarian “Samantha Rottweiler” in Butch Camp, and the loud-mouthed librarian “Mrs. Holler” in Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide.
• Moreover, she also played various minor characters on The Weird Al Show, was featured in many of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s comedy shorts and music videos, and appeared in dozens of other minor acting roles.
• She also had various theatrical roles, most notably in The Vagina Monologues and Menopause the Musical. 
• Furthermore, she wrote two comedy books Full Frontal Tenudity and The Power of Judyism, and released five comedy CDs, receiving “Best Comedy Album” Grammy nominations for Attention Butt-Pirates and Lesbetarians! and In Goddess We Trust. 
• She gained some mainstream notoriety for a series of television ads for MTV and Diet Dr Pepper in the late 1980s, as well as her HBO, Showtime, and Lifetime specials.
• Next, she appeared on the British TV comedy show Saturday Live in 1986.
• During 1986–1990, she made several guest appearances on the show of her favorite comedian, Joan Rivers. 
• In 1987, she became nationally known in her first HBO special Women of the Night, costarring Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Poundstone, and Rita Rudner. 
• In the year 1988, she won Best Female Stand-Up Comic at The American Comedy Awards. 
• Between 1987–1988, she toured across the country with another of her favorite comedians, comedy legend George Carlin.
• In 1988, she became the “Spokes-Goddess” for a series of “Diet Dr. Pepper” commercials, and also filmed her second HBO special.
• In 1991, she published her first book, The Power of Judyism, following up with an audio CD version in 1999. 
• In 1994, she was nominated for her first Grammy, for her comedy CD Attention Butt Pirates and Lesbetarians. 
• In 1995, she was nominated for her second Grammy, for her comedy CD In Goddess We Trust. 
• After the year 1996, she appeared as a drill sergeant, Sam Rottweiler, training gay men to defend themselves against bullies in the film Butch Camp. 
• After a couple of years in 1998, she conceived, produced, and starred in the film Desperation Boulevard.
• In 2001, she appeared on The View, dishing with Joy Behar, Star Jones, and Barbara Walters.
• In the year 2005, she appeared in the 2005 film Flirting with Anthony, as Jayleen the Motel Lady. 
• In 2007, she made a guest appearance as Mrs. Holler, the librarian, on Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. 
• In 2011, she played Zinnia, a menacing, aging actress, in the independent film Going Down in LA-LA Land, and the Mother Nun in the independent horror comedy Sister Mary. She would go on to be nominated for Best Actress at the 2012 Laugh or Die Comedy Fest for her performance.

Who was Judy Tenuta in a relationship with?

Judy Tenuta was not married till her lifetime. At the time of her death, she had been in a long-term relationship with Vern Pang. The pair had no children. Her sexual orientation was straight. 

She was an outspoken advocate for gay rights and amassed a faithful following in the LGBT community. During the early years of her career, she frequently performed at gay bars and clubs around Chicago and continued to perform at Gay Pride festivals and events across the country until her death. She publicly stated that she always felt welcomed and supported by the gay community, and even offered on her official website to officiate same-sex marriages.

How much was Judy Tenuta’s Net Worth?

Judy Tenuta was an American actress, comedian, author, and producer who has a net worth of $4 million at the time of her demise. Her main source of wealth was from the comedian and entertainment industry. She was making an annual income in around $1 Million. She was living a lavish lifestyle prior to her death. She had not disclosed the details about her property and house in the media. 

Judy Tenuta Height and Weight

Judy Tenuta was a pretty lady with a charming smile on her face attracting a lot of people towards her. She had a perfect height of 5 ft 6 in. Her body weight consisted of 57 KG. She had a pair of black eyes and her hair color was dark brown.