Fuquan Johnson, Enrico Colangeli remembered by fellow comedians after fatal suspected overdose
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Comics Fuquan Johnson and Enrico Colangeli, two of three people who died in suspected drug overdoses in Venice, are being remembered by fellow performers who frequented North Hollywood's Ha Ha Comedy Club.
The names of Johnson and Colangeli were on the club's marquee on Monday, underneath the words "REST IN PEACE."
"When I think about Fu, I think about the trash-talking back and forth," said Johnson's friend Rene Vaca, referring to him by his nickname. "It was loving, in a way, but not really. The words that we used were not loving at all."
Dante Chang said Johnson "loved his friends."
"He was very caring. You could call him for anything," Chang said. "I would literally call him for -- 'Hey, can you drive me to a comedy club three hours away?'" Chang said Johnson would respond, "Yeah, I got you."
Johnson, 43, Colangeli, 48, and Natalie Williamson, 33, were all found dead in Venice after a Friday-night party, according to Los Angeles police and the county coroner's office.
Comedian Fuquan Johnson among 3 dead after suspected drug overdose in Venice
A fourth person, identified by friends as Kate Quigley, was hospitalized in critical condition after the incident.
Each of the four individuals reportedly suffered an overdose of fentanyl-laced cocaine.
Jack Assadourian Jr., who operates the Ha Ha Comedy Club, said he had gotten to know Colangeli and Quigley well.
Colangeli was "so smart," Assadourian told ABC7. "He was from Boston, he grew up there, and he ran his father's construction company. He left Boston to pursue stand-up comedy because that's who he was.
"Kate Quigley's also a good friend of mine," Assadourian said. "We worked together."
Asked if he had spoken with Quigley since her hospitalization, Assadourian said he texted her to ask her if she was OK.
"She texted me, 'I'm OK,'" he said, "but I'm sure she's not OK."
The coroner has not released the three individuals' official cause of death.
Johnson "had demons like we all do," Chang said. "But he was a good person, one of the best, one of the greatest friends I've ever had."
