Judy Tenuta, brash ‘Love Goddess’ comedian, dies at 72

By LYNN ELBER
AP Television Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Judy Tenuta, a brash standup who cheekily styled herself as the “Love Goddess” and toured with George Carlin as she built her career in the 1980s golden age of comedy, has died. She was 72.  Her publicist says Tenuta died Thursday afternoon at home in Los Angeles, with her family around her. She was among a generation of performers who drove the popularity of live comedy in clubs nationwide including the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, Laff Stop in Houston and Caroline’s in New York City. A typically male-dominated field found room for women, including Tenuta. She first gained national attention in 1987 with “Women of the Night,” a HBO special.