Comedian Perry Kurtz has died aged 73 after he was struck by a car in a hit-and-run on Thursday evening.
Kurtz – who had appeared on America’s Got Talent and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno was travelling between gigs when he was killed – his daughter Zelda Valesquez confirmed in a heartbreaking social media post.
TMZ have confirmed that Kurtz was killed in an incident in Tarzana, LA after a collision around 11:30pm on Thursday.
A gray Honda Civic struck and killed a pedestrian. The Los Angeles Fire Department pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
Police have arrested an 18-year-old suspect – named as Naithon James – on suspicion of felony hit-and-run causing death, per FOXLA.
Comedian Perry Kurtz has died aged 73 after he was struck by a car in a hit-and-run on Thursday evening
The star is pictured with James Corden on The Late Late Show
Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department said Kurtz was crossing the street at Ventura Boulevard and Melvin Avenue, when a car driven by the teen hit him. When first responders arrived, the victim was declared dead at the scene.
Kurtz was identified as the victim on Friday morning.
James was arrested after a witness contacted authorities an hour after the crash due to seeing the suspect’s vehicle ‘oddly parked with a broken windshield.’
The vehicle matched the description of the car caught on security cameras running over Kurtz.
Kurtz appeared on season 8 of America’s Got Talent in 2006 where he rapped about the judges – but received three Nos.
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