At the time of his death, the comedian was just three stops into a national stand-up tour and his second Netflix special had debuted earlier this summer.
WASAGA BEACH, ON — David A. Arnold, a stand-up comedian who starred in two Netflix specials and was the creator and showrunner of the Nickelodeon series “That Girl Lay Lay” has died. He was 54.
Arnold’s family issued a statement to multiple media outlets confirming his death on Wednesday: “It is with great sadness that we confirm the untimely passing of our husband, father, brother and friend, David A. Arnold. David passed away peacefully today in his home and doctors have ruled the cause of death due to natural causes. Please keep our family in prayer and respect our privacy at this time as we are all shocked and devastated by this loss.”
The Cleveland native’s second Netflix standup special, “It Ain’t for the Weak,” debuted in mid-July. He was just three stops into a national stand-up tour at the time of his death.
In addition to his stand-up comedy, Arnold was a writer on several shows including Netflix’s “Full House” reboot “Fuller House,” “Bigger” on BET+ and “Meet the Browns” on TBS.
He was also the creator and showrunner of the Will Packer-produced Nickelodeon comedy “That Girl Lay Lay,” about an avatar from a personal affirmation app that magically comes to life to help a girl and her friends.
Comedian Chris Spencer, a close friend of Arnold, said in a statement to Variety that the “closely knit comedy community mourns the loss of one of the greatest to ever do it.”
“He was admired by his peers, respected by other veterans, and looked up to by the burgeoning comedians that he mentored. He will be deeply missed, especially by his comedy fraternity,” Spencer said in his statement.
“This one hits different! So very very sad! RIP,” comedian DL Hughley tweeted.
Next week, Arnold was scheduled to be the first comedian to appear on Sherri Shepherd’s new daytime talk show, executive producer Jawn Murray said in a tweet.
He is survived by his wife Julie and daughters Anna Grace and Ashlyn Elizabeth.