Comedian John Pinette has been found dead in a hotel room in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, aged 50.
John Pinette died of natural causes, the local medical examiner’s office told Associated Press.
A veteran of the international comedy circuit, John Pinette was also famous for his role in the final episode of the sitcom Seinfeld.
The actor had just started a tour across venues in the US and Canada, which was due to finish in June.
John Pinette had been suffering from liver and heart disease
John Pinette died at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel in Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon, US media report.
A spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office said John Pinette had been suffering from liver and heart disease. His manager told the Hollywood Reporter the actor had suffered a pulmonary embolism.
John Pinette was born in Boston in the state of Massachusetts in 1964 and was given his break when he was asked to tour with Frank Sinatra.
In his Seinfeld appearance, John Pinette played the role of a carjacking victim mocked by the stars of the show, who in turn end up before a judge for failing to help him.
John Pinette was known for making self-deprecating jokes about his weight and his agent, Nick Nuciforo, told US media he had been working on a stand-up project when he died.
His film credits included an appearance alongside John Travolta in The Punisher in 2004.
John Pinette also performed on Broadway and was a regular guest on NBC’s long-running The Tonight Show.
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A stroboscopic art installation in Pittsburgh has been temporarily closed after three visitors reported seizure-like symptoms.
Zee by Kurt Hentschlager – opened on Friday at the 943 Gallery, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.
An 18-year-old woman was treated at the scene on Sunday.
District emergency medical services chief Paul Sabol said she was the third person to have reported feeling ill.
The exhibition is restricted to over-18s “due to intense strobe effects”, according to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s website.
Zee by Kurt Hentschlager in Pittsburgh has been temporarily closed after three visitors reported seizure-like symptoms
The waiver that visitors had to sign before entering the room described the installation as having “intense stroboscopic light in combination with thick artificial fog, resulting in a loss of spatial orientation”.
People were warned not to go inside if they had photosensitive epilepsy, breathing or heart problems, or other issues, including claustrophobia.
Paul Sabol said that changes could be made before the exhibit reopens. Austrian artist Kurt Hentschlager could not be reached for comment at the time of writing.
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Zee has previously been displayed in other Pittsburgh galleries. Pittsburgh Cultural Trust spokeswoman Shaunda Miles told the newspaper that some patrons had seizures at those installations as well.
The art work is scheduled to remain in the city’s downtown district until October 27 but it is not yet known if and when it will reopen.
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust described the work as “exhilarating as well as meditative, the pulsing, stroboscopic audiovisual journey that is Zee pushes the boundaries of human perception”.
Chicago-based artist Kurt Hentschlager began to exhibit his work in 1983, and works predominantly with time-based media, light and sound.
In 2012, Kurt Hentschlager was commissioned as part of the cultural festival running alongside the 2012 London Olympics to create CORE, a symphonic installation showcased at the Ironbridge Gorge Enginuity Museum in Shropshire.
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