Local comics, club owners mourn former Route 1 mainstay

LYNN – John Pinette got his start on the Route 1 comedy circuit before he made it big nationwide.?He was one of those guys who was funny from the beginning,” said Mike Clarke, owner of Giggles Comedy Club on Route 1. “One of our mainstays that went on to make a pretty big name for himself ? There isn?t a person alive who couldn?t say John was tremendously talented.”The 50-year-old Boston native and 1982 Malden Catholic High School graduate died of natural causes Saturday at a hotel in Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner?s office said Sunday evening. Pinette?s agent confirmed his death, and local comics and club owners are mourning the loss.Before the tours, before the appearance on the final episode of “Seinfeld” in 1998, and before the sold-out shows in big-time venues, Pinette got his break on the Giggles stage at Prince Pizzeria. Clarke recalled a 22-year-old chubby student from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.Clarke, the brother of actor and comedian Lenny Clarke, suspected that Pinette?s weight, which he used as a punchline in his jokes for over 20 years, had been a factor in his death.?He battled his weight issues for a good many years,” he said.Clarke said Pinette used his weight to “propel him to fame” with stand-up specials like “Show Me the Buffet,” “I?m Starvin?!” and “Still Hungry,” but that didn?t mean he was happy with it. He struggled many times to lose weight. “He didn?t want to focus on his weight, but that?s what his act consisted of.”Clarke?s business partner, Prince owner Steve Castraberti, said tragically enough, Pinette “went the way of the large, funny guy, like Belushi and John Candy.”?He was a very funny guy but not a healthy guy,” said Castraberti. “It?s very unfortunate.”As Pinette?s fame grew nationwide and in Canada, Clarke said the “larger than life” comedian was too famous for Giggles, accustomed to selling out venues of 2,000 people.?We didn?t have the luxury of booking him in his later years. He got too big for us,” said Clarke, adding, “We remained friendly through the years.”Clarke said the last time he spoke to Pinette was five years ago in Las Vegas, but he?s still heard from multiple comics over the last couple of days expressing condolences over Pinette?s death, including Jimmy JJ Walker and Kathleen Wright. Clarke said Pinette was not only “incredibly well-liked onstage,” but well-liked off stage, too.?Everybody?s talking about it in the comic community today,” said Clarke. “He?ll be sorely missed ? the time we had with him will be cherished forever.”Veteran Kowloon employee Margaret White, who worked as a waitress on the comedy floor when Pinette performed, said, “Every time he was here he packed the room. Whenever he performed we just died laughing.”White laughed as she recalled his Chinese buffet routine, when restaurateurs would tell him “You eat too much!”White said even after he stopped performing at Kowloon, when he came through Saugus he would call up from his hotel room and say, “?Margaret, how the hell are ya?? And we?d send him over some food.”