Comedian and Seinfeld actor John Pinette dies.
Standup comedian John Pinette -- who was best known for his impressions and self-deprecating humor and a guest-starring role in the highly-rated series finale of Seinfeld -- has died at age 50.
Pinette died Saturday afternoon at a Sheraton hotel in Pittsburgh, Penn., the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
No foul play was suspected and the Medical Examiner said investigators did not perform an autopsy, since Pinette's personal physician signed off the cause of death, which was attributed to heart and liver disease, the newspaper reported.
The comedian -- who had appeared in films including Duets, Dear God, The Punisher and Junior -- had reportedly delayed a series of performances last August to undergo rehabilitation treatment for an alleged prescription drug addiction. "Thanks to everyone for your concern and well wishes," Pinette later wrote on his Twitter page. “Want to apologize for having missed shows last weekend, but I hope you understand!”
In the series finale of Seinfeld in 1998, Pinette portrayed the victim of a carjacking that was videotaped by characters Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), George (Jason Alexander) and Kramer (Michael Richards). The series stars mocked the carjacker in the episode and end up being charged with violating the "Good Samaritan Law."