Comedian Tyler Craig has reportedly died at the age of 54. Craig’s cause of death has not been revealed.
A native of Atlanta, he got his start in comedy at Club 550. As his career took off, Tyler Craig made his TV comedy debut on BET’s Comic View. He also appeared on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, on Jamie Foxx’s Laffapalooza! as well as Martin Lawrence’s 1st Amendment Stand Up. During his career, Craig opened for comedians including Cedric the Entertainer and Chris Tucker. According to Craig’s IMDb page, he also appeared in several movies over the years, the most recent being 2018’s Unkillable alongside Tom Sizemore.
Craig is perhaps best known for his catchphrase, “And the moral of the story is…”
In a 2018 interview with NBC Memphis, Craig explained the origins of his catchphrase.
“One of my jokes, at the end I said, ‘And the moral of the story is be yourself,’ and that’s where it started,” he said at the time. “’Cause I feel like you have to learn something after each trial and tribulation you go through. So you’re really not losing, you’re learning how to win.”
In a tribute posted to Facebook, friend and comedian Willie Brown says Craig is survived by his wife and children.
“He is by far one of the funniest men to set foot on stage and television. I’ve had the opportunity to work with him many times over the years,” Brown wrote. “We traveled to Korea years ago and performed. He always had great insights about life and the subject of comedy. My prayers and condolences go out to his wife, children, and family. He will surely be missed.”