Comedians speak out after the death of 'Bust Down' star Jak Knight, 28: 'Why did you leave us so soon?'
Stand-up comic, writer and actor Jak Knight has died. Knight passed away in Los Angeles on July 14. Cause of death has not been revealed. He was 28 years old.
Knight worked on several popular series during his career, including Big Mouth and Black-ish. The Los Angeles-based multi-hyphenate was co-creator of the Peacock series Bust Down, which he also starred in and executive produced.
The actor had recently finished working on Chelsea Peretti’s project First Time Female Director. Peretti shared a photo of Jak smiling on set. She captioned the photo “Bye Jak I love you.”
Fellow comedian and friend Eric Andre posted an Instagram tribute to the late Knight, writing “Why Jak? Why did you leave us so soon just as you were beginning? We love you man. Come back.”
Hacks star Hannah Einbinder shared a touching tribute to the comic via Instagram story. “At 28 he was smarter, funnier and more insightful than most comedians ever are in their entire lives. Jak you were so beautiful. I’m so sorry,” she wrote.
Knight’s friends and fans flocked to his Instagram following the news, leaving messages on his last post, dated July 6. The Instagram looks to be an illustrated movie poster and features the words “Go ahead! Why don’t you tell him how you really feel.”
Lena Waithe wrote “Love you, Jak.” She also posted a photo of the late comic to her Instagram story, writing “we’re gonna miss you.”
“LOVE YOU JACK,” wrote comedian Asif Ali.
Music artist Frank Leone commented “love u forever g.”
Fellow comic and actor Kumail Nanjiani tweeted his disbelief following the news of Knight’s passing. “Rest In Peace Jak Knight. Hilarious comedian and a great guy. I can’t believe it,” he wrote.
Rest In Peace Jak Knight. Hilarious comedian and a great guy. I can’t believe it.
— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) July 16, 2022
The official Comedy Central Twitter account also shared a photo of the stand-up comic and wrote “Jak Knight was a hysterical and honest comedian. We will miss him tremendously.”
Jak Knight was a hysterical and honest comedian. We will miss him tremendously. pic.twitter.com/F1dQEjT5GV
— comedycentral (@ComedyCentral) July 15, 2022