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Bill Hicks

Comedy history · 14 facts, each from at least two of 8 independent sources · last reviewed 2026-10-17

Bill Hicks was an American comedian.1,2 A Georgia native born in 1961, he succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 1994, aged 32.1,3,4,5,6,7

Early life

His full name was William Melvin Hicks, and he was born on December 16, 1961, in Valdosta, Georgia.1,4 Before making Houston their permanent home when he was seven, his family had resided in Florida, Alabama and New Jersey.4,8

Career and writing

By the time he was thirteen, Hicks had begun appearing on open-mic nights at nightclubs in Houston.4,5 During one performance, two Vietnam veterans who were angered by his act assaulted him and broke his leg.4,9 He was a columnist for Scallywag, and The Nation had also offered him a column.1,5 Hicks called television Lucifer's Dream Box.1,10

Illness and death

Doctors diagnosed Hicks with pancreatic cancer in June 1993.2,4 He died on February 26, 1994, in Little Rock, Arkansas.4,11 He was laid to rest in Leakesville, Mississippi, in his family's plot.1,4

Legacy

Radiohead's The Bends carries a dedication to Hicks.1,12

Sources

  1. Bio (billhicks.com) · archived copy
  2. A Brit on the side: Why American comic Bill Hicks felt most at home in the UK | The Independent | The Independent (the-independent.com)
  3. BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | Bill Hicks: Why the fuss, exactly? (bbc.co.uk)
  4. Hicks, Bill - Encyclopedia of Arkansas (encyclopediaofarkansas.net)
  5. Obituary: Bill Hicks - People - News - The Independent (independent.co.uk) · archived copy
  6. Richard Linklater Directing Bill Hicks Biopic for Focus (variety.com)
  7. America’s outlaw comic | SocialistWorker.org (socialistworker.org)
  8. bill hicks bio (billhicks.com)
  9. Bio (billhicks.com) · archived copy
  10. Annals of Comedy: The Goat Boy Rises: The New Yorker (newyorker.com) · archived copy
  11. Obituary: Bill Hicks | The Independent | The Independent (independent.co.uk)
  12. Radiohead Part II: On The Road With The Mercury Prize Nominees | The Quietus (thequietus.com)

Updated November 12, 2026.

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