ottoandgeorge

Comic ventriloquist Otto Petersen with his dummy, George Dudley.

(NJ.com file photo)

Comedian and longtime New Jersey resident Otto Petersen, known for his x-rated ventroliquist act Otto & George, died suddenly on Sunday, according to media reports.

Petersen, 53, died while taking nap, according to the Opie and Anthony Channel. A cause of death was not released.

Last summer, Petersen fell ill with bacterial meningitis and lapsed into a coma for a week, according to a Facebook page created to raise money to pay the comic's medical expenses. The page asked that donations be sent to Petersen at a Port Reading address.

Petersen had appeared at the Don Bosco Knights of Columbus in Port Reading on Friday night, April 11.

Always the butt of his dummy's off-color, inappropriate and mostly x-rated jokes, the comedian worked his act in clubs across New Jersey and New York for nearly four decades. He has appeared on Late Show with David Letterman, The Aristocrats movie and on many other cable and network television shows.

The act recently appeared at Crossroads in Garwood and in Bananas Comedy Club in Hasbrouck Heights. He’s also appeared at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick.

Petersen was a ventriloquist noted for moving his lips when the puppet talked.

In interviews, Petersen said he became interested in entertainment when he was a 7-year-old living in Staten Island.

He got the idea of being a ventriloquist from watching his favorite daytime children’s show, “Winchell Mahoney Time,” which featured puppets Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff.

Peterson bought George for $350 in Louis Tannen’s, a Times Square magic shop.

The adult-themed ventriloquist comedy team composed of Otto and his dummy George Dudley began performing as a street act in Manhattan and Brooklyn in the early 1970s.

In the late 70s, the act moved into nightclubs and began to evolve.

On social media Monday morning, news of Petersen’s death spread quickly.

“My friend @OttoAndGeorge died,” tweeted Rob Dukes. “I will miss him. We have been friends for 20 years and he was one of the funniest people I have ever met.”

Comedian Jim Norton tweeted a photo of himself with Petersen.

“I am heartbroken to hear @OttoAndGeorge has died,” Norton wrote. “He was so brilliantly funny. I really loved him.”

Harlan Jamison, owner of Bananas Comedy Club in Hasbrouck Heights, said Petersen and his puppet always drew a large crowd.

"He had a loyal following," Jamison said. "He invented the x-rated ventriloquist act."

Jamison said Petersen had appeared at his club for more than 20 years.

A one-time Edgewater resident, Petersen moved to South Jersey, the club owner said.