Art Kelly, known for his portrayal of former San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary on the “Late Show with David Letterman,” has passed away at the age of 67. The cause of death is yet to be determined. According to his brother Andre, Kelly was discovered at his home on Friday, July 4th, after a friend requested a wellness check due to not hearing from him for several days.
Kelly was a longtime staff member of the “Late Show” from the early 2000s until David Letterman’s retirement in 2015. He worked as the receptionist on the 12th floor at the Ed Sullivan Theatre, where Letterman’s office was located. In 2008, he was approached by the show’s writers to play Singletary, despite initially not knowing who the NFL Hall-of-Famer was. After studying footage and receiving guidance from Letterman’s writers, Kelly’s first appearance as Singletary impressed Letterman so much that he was invited back for subsequent episodes.
He portrayed Singletary a total of 26 times on the show and received praise from The New York Times as “the best thing on the tube since Tina Fey did Sarah Palin.” Mike Chisholm of The Letterman Podcast described Kelly as “a real light in this world who was always so respectful of Dave and the entire production team.”
Mike Singletary himself had an illustrious career, making ten consecutive Pro Bowls and defending 51 passes during his twelve-season career. He was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 38th overall pick in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft.
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