Lotus Weinstock

Lotus Weinstock (1943-1997) was an American comedian.

Early life Weinstock was born in 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Robert and Lucille Weinstock. She was a natural performer throughout her childhood and into high school as she was known to improvise bits with friends and play the role of the mascot on her cheerleading team. Though she was considered to be a great performer, she often felt like an outcast growing up. Some of these jokes also made it onto greeting cards. The Lotus Position sold about 63,000 copies. Weinstock also performed in a musical comedy duo, "The Turtles", with Jimmy Gavin. Together, they toured the folk scene circuit. Under this name, one of her songs was recorded by Richie Havens. She believed that "when a whole roomful of people are laughing, suddenly you have dissolved the pain and shame of separateness. At that moment, there is no judgment—it is a true release." As most of Lotus’ jokes and moments have, there is always a story behind them, and it often involves her sense of spirituality. On one occasion, Weinstock was too sick to get dressed for a show but still wanted to perform, so she wore a bathrobe on stage. She ended up recovering quickly, and incorporated the robe in her future shows.

Weinstock performed on The Merv Griffin Show, The Tonight Show, The Mike Douglas Show, Politically Incorrect, Make Me Laugh, and The Comedy Store "Pilot."

Being a woman in comedy Much of Weinstock's humor had to do with being a woman. She joked about her marriage and dating and was also aware of the difference between how women comedians could act versus men. She and some other women performing in The Belly Room felt it was a place where there was less need for competition and women could perform in a giving environment.

Later life and death In November 1996 Weinstock found out she had an untreatable brain tumor. The night before she and Haydn were to go to a clinic in La Jolla that specialized in alternative medicine, she had a seizure that resulted in a herniated brainstem. This left her paralyzed and limited her motor skills as well as her ability to talk.