Articulations

In Memoriam: Charlie Shannon

If the world feels a little less funny this week, it may be because Charlie Shannon isn't around anymore to make us laugh. The stand-up comic and comedy writer who was a fixture on the Austin comedy scene in the 1990s died Sunday, Dec. 21, in Sherman Oaks, Calif., after a brief illness. He was 44. Shannon hailed from Houston, and he never forgot his roots there; for more than a decade, he and his brother -- in life and in comedy -- T. Sean Shannon returned there every December to do a Shannon Brothers Christmas Show at the Laff Stop. But he made an indelible impression on the Austin comedy scene, headlining regularly at the Laff Stop, the Velveeta Room, and the Capitol City Comedy Club. He even earned the nickname "King of Austin Comedy" from this very publication. He also wrote for and performed in the MTV series Austin Stories, as Lester the Pawn Shop Owner. His other stage and television credits are too numerous to list here. He is survived by his fiancée, Deborah Harmon; his parents, James and Shirley Shannon; brothers James, John, Patrick, and T. Sean and sisters Cynthia, Ann Marie, and Elizabeth, and their spouses; numerous nieces and nephews; and many friends and fans in Austin. He will be missed.