Gary Owen has put his heart fully on display with a true act of selflessness, helping a fan who lost his wife days before attending one of the comedian's stand-up shows.
During a recent show in Sacramento, California at Punch Line Comedy Club, Owen recounted to the crowd that he had been contacted by Rudy Escalante, who proceeded to tell him that his wife had passed away two days before the show. Despite losing his wife, Escalante still made it out to the show.
In a clip from the evening, Owen and Escalante can be seen chatting during the set. When Owen asked how much the funeral would cost, Escalante said around $1,600 for the "cremation and everything."
"I’ll go ahead and cover it for you," Owen said, prompting Escalante to get on the stage and hug the comedian. Escalante also showed off a tattoo of his wife, whom he had been married to for 18 years. The couple also shared 13-year-old and 16-year-old daughters.
When Owen asked if $1,600 would cover everything, Escalante said, "Everything helps. I took a month off of work just to be with the girls and all that."
Owen responded: "I’ll make sure you’re good."
Escalante is also raising $13,000 for Gutierrez’s celebration of life on August 9 via GoFundMe. As of this writing, he’s raised almost $11,000 — you can donate here.
Following the stand-up show, Escalante took to Instagram to thank Owen for his kind gesture. Sharing a photograph of himself and the comedian, he wrote: "Gary Owens, you are a real one, Big Dawg. What you did lastnight for me and my family will never be forgotten. Kim is looking down, smiling on you."
He added: "All I wanted was a picture, and you blessed us with a gift like that unbelievable. One love big dawg."
Many people hit up the comments section to ask if they could help by donating to the GoFundMe. Check out the post below.
Owen is on tour until December and is gearing up for stops in New York, Atlanta, Washington DC, Columbus, Richmond and more.
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