Legendary comedian Baek Nam-bong dies

SEOUL, July 29 (Yonhap) -- Baek Nam-bong, a legendary comedian who was loved for his art of impersonation, died in a Seoul hospital on Thursday. He was 71.

Baek, whose real name is Park Du-shik, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008 and
had been receiving treatment at a rehabilitation center. His condition had
deteriorated recently, and Baek was admitted earlier this month to an intensive
care unit at Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul.
Born in 1939, Baek debuted in 1969 on the TBC radio program "Talent Show" and
came into the limelight as an impressionist with hundreds of different voices.
Dubbed the "master of one-man show," Baek performed in all different dialects
across the Korean Peninsula and impersonated just about everything that made
noise, from chickens and trains to boat whistles and guns. He received the
Presidential Award in 2000 for his mastery performance.
Baek also co-hosted the "Baek Nam Bong Show" with his daughter Park Yun-hee, a
former figure skater, on cable channel Silver TV.
He used to be a chain smoker before quitting in 1988.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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