Comedian James Gregory Has Died
Southern comedian James Gregory has passed away.
Gregory died Wednesday from “cardiac complications.”
If you’ve lived here for any period of time, you probably saw him perform more than once at the various comedy clubs we’ve had through the years.
James Gregory in the ’90s
In the 90’s, James came on our morning show numerous times. Despite the hour, he was always in a great mood, always laughing, and because he was never “blue” he could regale us with about 10 to 15 minutes of his act.
I always thought of him as an “observational comic”, but more so, a “Southern observational comic”. He would remind us of the people we knew in our childhoods…relatives, parents, grandparents, and more. He spoke wonderfully about the nuances of living “the Southern life”.
James turned down The Tonight Show
He spent most of his time touring in the South. I never really asked him if he performed often in other regions of the country. But I now understand that he performed all over the country, and never used the word “Southern” in his act. He called it, “down home, common sense” humor. The story goes, that he turned down the opportunity to appear on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson when he was told he’d have to “speed up his delivery”.
He had just completed work on his autobiography, “A Bushel of Beans and A Peck of Tomatoes: The Life and Times of “The Funniest Man in America, James Gregory”. The book is scheduled to be released this November.
James Gregory was 78 years old.
If you never saw him, below are a couple of his routines.
Rest in Peace, James Gregory
Signs You'll Live a Long Life
1. You Eat These Healthy Things
According to a University of Michigan study (via TheHealthy.com), “Women who consumed the most veggies and fruit had a 46 percent lower chance of dying over a five-year period compared with those who ate them infrequently. The study involved 700 participants in their 70s.
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2. You Workout (Specifically, Run 40 Minutes a Day)
According to NBCNews.com, “Scientists in California found that middle-aged people” who ran “for a total of about 5 hours per week lived longer and functioned better physically and cognitively as they got older.” They state that the “researchers tracked runners and nonrunners for 21 years.” Aside from running, CNBC.com states that, “Strength training twice a week and aerobic exercise three times a week, even if for just 10 minutes a day” also helps.
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3. For Women, You Had a Baby After Age 44
For women, if you were pregnant and had a baby naturally after age 44, “you’re about 15 percent less likely to die during any year after age 50 than your friends who had their babies before age 40, reports a recent University of Utah study,” via NBCNews.com. Lead researcher Ken R. Smith, PhD, professor of human development at the university, tells NBCNews.com, “If your ovaries are healthy and you are capable of having children at that age, that’s a marker that you have genes operating that will help you live longer.”
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4. You Socialize
The National Library of Medicine states that people with bigger social networks and who socialize tend to live longer. In the study, Dr. Freeman states, “People who have more social support tend to have enhanced mental health, cardiovascular health, immunological functioning, cognitive performance, resilience, life satisfaction, stress response and more.”
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5. You're Slim in the Waist
TheHealthy.com states that, “Women with a waist of 37 inches or more had a life expectancy that was five years lower after age 40 than did women with a waist of 27 inches or less, found one study. For men, a waist of 43 inches or more was linked to a three-year decrease in life expectancy compared with those with a waist of 35 inches or less.”
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6. You Drink Tea Each Day
Apparently, drinking one or two cups of tea a day is good for your health. “Both green and black tea contain catechins, which relax blood vessels. However, you should be making the tea yourself; in ready-to-drink teas, most of the catechins have probably dissolved already, so they don’t have quite the same heart-healthy power,” says TheHealth.com.
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7. You're Careful with Your Calories
“Researchers in St. Louis reported that men and women who limited their daily calories to 1,400 to 2,000 (about 25 percent fewer calories than those who followed a typical 2,000-to 3,000-calorie Western diet) were literally young at heart — their hearts functioned like those of people 15 years younger,” says NBCNews.com. So, make every calorie count, and keep calories low.
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8. You Get Your Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is important to overall health. According to CNBC.com, getting good sleep is one of the factors to make it to age 90. So, turn off Netflix and get some shut eye.
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9. You Have a Purpose in Life
Do you wake up each day with a purpose? Do you feel needed in this world? According to a 2014 study in the journal of Psychological Science, having a sense of purpose means you’ll have a longer life. In the study, they report that people in the study who passed away, about 10% of the participants, had reported lower scores for purpose in life.
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Bonus - Take This Longevity Test
The experts at Media.nmfn.com actually have a lifespan test that you can take online. I took it, and I won’t divulge the age is says I’ll make it to, but I was happy and pleasantly surprised by the result. It asks you some basic health and family questions. Take the test here, and hopefully you’ll be happy with the result.
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