Bill Hicks

Bill Hicks will forever be remembered as the original alternative comedian. His style was groundbreaking, his approach was satirical and topical and his muse - cigarettes.

Hicks was born in Georgia in 1961 and his childhood was on of constant change. Moving from state to state before his family settled in Houston, Texas, Hicks found his calling in comedy and along with close friend, Dwight Slade, the two started to write scripts, emulating their hero - Woody Allen.

In the late 1970s and throughout the 80s Hicks worked his way around the US comedy circuit and at the age of just 17 he was a star at the Comedy Workshop in his hometown when he was still a student.

In the mid 80s, Hicks became a regular face on television on shows such as Tonight, With David Letterman as arranged by his friend Jay Leno. This is where he hit the big time.

Hicks suffered from drug and alcohol addictions and found his reputation suffered because of this. In 1987 he moved to New York and quit both drugs and alcohol in 1988. His time in New York saw him performing 300 times a year and his set began to be hinged upon his only vice - smoking. This new found success saw him release his first live video, Sane Man, to critical acclaim.

1990 saw Hicks release his first album, Dangerous, perform for an HBO special, One Night Stand, and appeared at the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal. His career brought him to London where he performed as part of a group of American stand-up comedians in the West End. His second album, Relentless, was released in 1991.

Hicks was invited to open a number of concerts for rock band Tool for the 1992 tour. Hicks famously asked the audience to look for a contact lens he'd lost - thousands of people complied to the amusement of the band and Hicks himself.

When touring Australia in 1993, Hicks was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer after having pains in his side. He started to receive chemotherapy while touring with Kevin Booth and recording his Arizona Bay album. He was also working with Fallon Woodland on a pilot episode of a talk show for Channel 4 called Counts of the Netherworld.

In October 93, Hicks was due to appear on David Letterman's Late Show for the twelfth time but his performance was cancelled for various reasons that only became truly evident after his death.

He played his final show in New York on January 6, 1994 and moved back to his parents house in Little Rock soon after. After saying goodbye to his friends and family, Hicks stopped talking on the 14th February and at 11:20pm on the 26 February he died.

Hicks is a legend of the comedy scene and has more fans than ever before. His material is still relevant and just gets better and better with age.