Mike Bullard, Canadian comedian and broadcaster, dead at 67

Canadian standup comedian and broadcaster Mike Bullard has died, his family confirmed Sunday.

Bullard's half-brother, musician Chuck Jackson, confirmed to The Canadian Press that Bullard's family learned of his death on Friday.

Jackson saidthe coroner is investigating, and the exact cause of death remains unknown for now, but Bullard, 67, did have health problems.

A friend found him at a residence where he was staying, and the body isbeing held by authorities, Jackson said.

He said a celebration of life will be held later, when family from abroad are able to gather, but for now the family areasking to grieve in private.

A longtime standup comedian, Bullard hosted two late-night talk shows Open Mike with Mike Bullard, which ran from 1997 to2003 on CTV, and The Mike Bullard Show, which airedbriefly on Global from 2003 to2004. He won two Gemini awards for the CTV show.

Mark Breslin, the founder and CEO of comedy bar chain Yuk Yuk's, worked with Bullard and told CBC Toronto on Sunday that he was also a "very good friend" for more than three decades.

Breslin described Bullard as a "fantastic comedian" who particularly excelled at emcee and hosting work."Crowd work was his specialty, and he was probably the best in the country," Breslinsaid.

Bullard also worked on radio as host of Beyond the Mic with Mike Bullardbetween 2010 and 2016 on CFRB in Toronto, but he lost that show after being accused of making harassing calls to an ex-girlfriend.

In 2018, Bullard pleaded guilty to making harassing phone calls to the victim, journalist Cynthia Mulligan, as well as breaching court orders. He was given a conditional discharge.

Breslin said the legal challenges "plunged [Bullard]into a major depression which took years to come out of."

"He was pretty bitter about the way that a lot of people abandoned him because of this," Breslin said.

Bullard travelled to Ukraine in November 2022 to do humanitarian work, raising money and delivering supplies, often near the front line. He returned to Canada in February 2023.

WATCH |George Stroumboulopoulos interviews Mike Bullard:

Mike Bullard

12 years ago

Duration 9:00

Latenight trailblazer Mike Bullard sits in the red chair with George.