Texas iconoclast Kinky Friedman dead at 79: Obituary [Video]

Richard “Kinky” Friedman — the provocative and flamboyant Texas satirist who mounted a spirited campaign for governor in 2006 — has died. He was 79.

Friedman died at his longtime home at Echo Hill Ranch in Medina, his friends Cleve Hattersley said in an interview and Kent Perkins said on social media. He had Parkinson’s disease, Hattersley said.

“He was a communicator. An unusual, but very pointed and poignant communicator,” said Hattersley, his friend of roughly 50 years. “He could bring you to tears on stage. He could make you roll on the floor in laughter.”

Friedman ran for governor as an independent against Republican incumbent Rick Perry in 2006. Despite a colorful campaign and heavy media attention, Friedman finished fourth in the race. He also ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for agriculture commissioner in 2010 and in 2014.

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