Shemp Howard Net Worth

On November 22, 1955, Shemp went out with his friends Al Winston and Bobby Silverman to a boxing match (one of Shemp's favorite pastimes), at the old Hollywood Legion Stadium (at North El Centro Avenue & Selma Avenue), located just one block above the Hollywood Palladium. While returning home in a taxicab that evening, he died of a sudden massive heart attack, at the age of 60. He was leaning back and lighting a cigar after telling a joke, when he suddenly slumped over on his friend Al Winston's lap, accidentally burning Al with the cigar. Al thought Shemp was playing a joke, since Shemp was laughing moments earlier, but realized he was actually dead. Moe's autobiography gives a death date of November 23, 1955, as do most subsequent accounts, because of Moe's book. But much of that book was finished posthumously by his daughter and son-in-law, and some specific details were confused as a result. The Los Angeles county coroner's death certificate states that Shemp Howard died on Tuesday, November 22, 1955, at 11:35 [PM] PST; confirming that, Shemp's obituary appeared in the November 23 afternoon editions of Los Angeles newspapers, establishing the night of November 22 as the date of death. A different account is offered by former daughter-in-law Geri Greenbaum, who says Shemp's death happened just as their cab came over the rise on Barham Boulevard (heading to his Toluca Lake home).