'Wack Pack' member Kallenbach dead at 39 of pneumonia

Local comedian Kenneth Keith Kallenbach, a long-running member of Howard Stern's "Wack Pack," has died after falling ill in jail. He was 39.

Kallenbach, of Boothwyn, contracted pneumonia while in custody on a charge of attempted child abduction. He died Thursday at Riddle Memorial Hospital near Media, his mother, Fay Kallenbach, said yesterday.

She said her son suffered from the chronic ailment cystic fibrosis and contended that officials at the Delaware County jail had failed to care for him properly. A county official disputed that.

Stern first reported the news on his Sirius Satellite Radio show Thursday.

Kallenbach, whose goofball antics included attempting to blow smoke from his eyes, made dozens of appearances on Stern's show beginning in 1990. Although Kallenbach appeared on the show less frequently in recent years, his name was well-known to Stern fans.

Stern once likened him to MTV's Beavis and Butt-head, and wrote in his 1993 book "Private Parts" that Kallenbach was the "ultimate airhead."

More recently, Kallenbach appeared in commercials for ESPN's "Monday Night Football" and Stride chewing gum. He also appeared on Jay Leno's "Tonight" show on NBC and had uncredited parts in HBO's "Sex and the City" and the Tom Cruise film "Jerry Maguire."

Kallenbach was arrested in Upper Chichester Township in mid-March on a charge of attempted child abduction, after being accused of trying to pull a girl into his car. He had denied any wrongdoing.

He posted bail, but was returned to custody for violating terms of his probation. Kallenbach, who was convicted of drunken driving in 1999, pleaded guilty last May to driving without an ignition interlock device.

Kallenbach's mother said her son called her a few days before his death and begged her to intervene with authorities at Delaware County Prison. She said he claimed that they were not providing him with adequate medical care.

"They weren't treating him properly for his disease and this is how he contracted pneumonia," Fay Kallenbach charged.

Cystic fibrosis causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system and can be fatal.

John A. Reilly Jr., acting superintendent of the prison, said he was "shocked" by the mother's allegation because she previously thanked the jail for the care her son had received.

"What more did she want us to do?" he said.

He said Kallenbach had been taken to the prison hospital and placed on oxygen, then rushed to Riddle as his condition started to deteriorate. *