He died at 1:00 in the afternoon on January 29, 1977, 33 hours after shooting himself. Freddie Prinze was just 22 years old. Police did find a note in Freddie Prinze’s room that said, “I must end it. There’s no hope left. I’ll be at peace. No one had anything to do with this. My decision totally – Freddie Prinze. P.S. I’m sorry. Forgive me.
Freddie James Prinze (born Frederick Karl Pruetzel; June 22, 1954 – January 29, 1977) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Prinze was the star of NBC-TV sitcom Chico and the Man from 1974 until his death in 1977. Prinze is the father of actor Freddie Prinze Jr.
He also appeared on The Midnight Special to perform his comic routine. From September 1974 until his death in January 1977, Prinze starred as Francisco “Chico” Rodriguez in the NBC TV series Chico and the Man with Jack Albertson. The show was an instant hit.
Prinze had a history of playing Russian roulette to frighten his friends for his amusement, though he made farewell phone calls to numerous family members and friends on the night of his death and left a note stating that he had decided to take his life. In 1977, the death was ruled a suicide.
What is the story of Freddie Prinze?
Prinze’s mother wrote a book about her son, The Freddie Prinze Story (1978). Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of Freddie Prinze (September 1979) is a TV biopic. Prinze’s life and death were a focal point of one of the storylines in the movie Fame (1980), set in Prinze’s alma mater, the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts. In 2001, TV Land began showing reruns of Chico and the Man. Prinze received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 14, 2004, honoring his contribution to the television industry. Actor and comedian George Lopez has acknowledged that he paid for Prinze’s star.
On October 13, 1975, Prinze married Katherine (Kathy) Elaine (Barber) Cochran , with whom he had one child, son Freddie Prinze Jr., who was born March 8, 1976. Prinze was arrested for driving under the influence of Quaaludes on November 16, 1976. A few weeks later his wife filed for divorce.
Prinze was born Frederick Karl Pruetzel ( German spelling: Prützel) at Saint Clare’s Hospital in Manhattan of New York City the son of Edward Karl Pruetzel and Maria de Gracia Pruetzel (née Graniela y Ramirez). His mother was a Puerto Rican Catholic and his father was a German Lutheran immigrant who had arrived in the U.S. as a youth in 1934. Prinze was raised in a mixed neighborhood in Washington Heights, New York City. When Prinze was a small child, his mother enrolled him in ballet classes to deal with a weight problem. Without telling his parents, Prinze successfully auditioned for the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, where he was introduced to drama and continued ballet — and where he discovered his gift for comedy while entertaining crowds in the boys’ restroom. He dropped out of school in his senior year to become a stand-up comedian.
However, in 1983 in a civil case brought by his mother, wife, and son against Crown Life Insurance Company the jury found that his death was medication-induced and accidental, which enabled the family to collect $200,000 in life insurance.
His son, Freddie Prinze Jr., who was less than one year old when his father died, did not speak publicly about his father’s death until he discussed it in the documentary Misery Loves Comedy (2015), directed by Kevin Pollak.
While Snyder was visiting him, Prinze put a gun to his head and shot himself. He had purchased this gun in the presence of Jim mie “JJ” Walker and Alan Bursky, although it was long rumored that Bursky gave him the gun. Prinze was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center and placed on life support following emergency surgery.
Prinze was very close friends with singer Tony Orlando; Orlando appeared on Chico and the Man, and Prinze appeared on Orlando’s variety show. As he started to make more money, Prinze took martial arts lessons from Robert Wall, a student of Bruce Lee, who appeared in Enter the Dragon and Return of the Dragon.
How old was Freddie Prinze when he died?
He died at 1:00 in the afternoon on January 29, 1977, 33 hours after shooting himself. Freddie Prinze was just 22 years old.
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Freddie’s funeral was held at the Old North Church and he was laid to rest in the Court of Remembrance at Forest Lawn Cemetery, in Hollywood Hills. It was attended by Prinze’s wife, Jack Albertson, Paul Williams (who was a pallbearer!?) , and Tony Orlando. Orlando would give the eulogy.
He shot himself in Room 216. A Walther .380 caliber handgun. Probably very similar to the one Freddie Prinze used to kill himself. The Big 5 Sporting Goods store at the corner of Wilshire and San Vicente Blvds. Where Freddie Prinze bought the gun he used to kill himself. Tweet.
As Dusty made a quick dive for the gun, Prinze pulled away. Dusty hastily told Prinze to “think about your mother, and your son. “. Dusty heard a muffled gunshot but didn’t realize what had happened. Moments later when Prinze slumped sideways, blood pouring from his head, he knew exactly what had occurred.
By the age of 20, Freddie Prinze’s fame was already through the stratosphere as his television show, Chico and the Man was a top five charter in the U.S.
Now, here’s where it gets a little wacky. In 1982, Freddie Prinze’s widow and son received nearly $1 million to settle assorted malpractice suits against Prinze’s psychiatrist and internist for over-prescribing Quaaludes. In January of 1983, a jury confirmed what his mother had pursued, that Freddie was acting under the influence of drugs, and that he was playing with the gun, and it accidentally went off. As a result of the verdict, the family received what is believed to be a healthy life insurance pay out. [despite the suicide note!?]
Early the next morning, he began making a series of goodbye phone calls. One of those calls was to Marvin “Dusty” Snyder, Prinze’s business manager.
When did Freddie Prinze die?
Freddie Prinze died on Jan. 28, 1977 . This news was painful for many, as they remembered the extraordinarily talented man who went all too soon. At the time of his death, he’d lost a major chunk of his money but had active contracts with NBC and Caesar’s Palace that were worth over $7 million, according to Entertainment Weekly.
After graduating from the High School of Performing Arts, Freddie Prinze started working hard on getting gigs. He worked at a showcase club called Catch a Rising Star without pay and was comfortable performing even through he was barely 18 and still learning the ropes. According to Vulture, the club’s owner, Rick Newman, said that Prinze started performing at the club early on after it opened. It was obvious that he was talented. Newman said, “You knew what he had right from the start. He was good from the get-go. Great poise. He used to go up and work out. I put him up in prime time.”
According to Amo Mama, the comedian was so depressed that he decided to make phone calls to loved ones, a farewell of sorts. He was just 22-years-old at the time. When his business manager, Marvin Synder, got the call, he raced to get to his friend and talk to him. Prinze was staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel Plaza.
Freddie Prinze was only 19-years-old when he got a chance to be a part of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. As explained by Vulture, Prinze only spent 325 seconds performing on stage on Dec. 6, 1973. Just nine months after that first appearance, he managed to become a name to reckon with in the entertainment industry.
Interestingly, while he was born as Frederick Pruetzel, he changed his name to Prinze to imply that he was the prince of comedy. The journey to fame was thorny and full of hurdles. Unfortunately, Prinze battled mental health issues, which he succumbed to at a young age. He died by suicide in January 1977. His son, Freddie Prinze Jr., eventually made his way to Hollywood years later, becoming a popular actor and a Hollywood heartthrob.
Freddie Prinze was meant to be an actor and a performer. Even as a child, he showed aptitude for the performing arts. In fact, a teacher predicted that Prinze would stand out because of his talent. According to The Freddie Prinze Story, the teacher wrote about his promising future in an autograph album that Prinze had purchased. “I wish you success in everything. I know you won’t get lost in the crowds,” the note read.
Carson spoke with him after the performance, and all Prinze could say in that moment was, “This is sumthin.”.
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