Tracy MorganA six-vehicle crash has killed an independent comedian and left his long-time friend and collaborator, 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan, in a serious condition in hospital.
According to several reports, James 'Jimmy Mack' McNair, 63, and Morgan were travelling with six other people in Morgan's limousine bus about 1am Saturday (local time) when their vehicle was struck from behind by a Wal-Mart tractor trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Police say the tractor trailer apparently failed to notice slow-moving traffic and did not stop in time to avoid colliding with the limo-bus, which was then propelled into several other vehicles before overturning. McNair did not survive the impact.
The driver, 35-year-old Kevin Roper, has since been charged by police with one count of death by auto and four counts of assault by auto, according to The New York Times.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that hospital spokesman Peter Haigney listed Morgan's assistant Jeffrey Millea and comedian Ardie Fuqua Jr. as being in critical condition, while comedian Harris Stanton was released after treatment. Two others in the party escaped injury.
Morgan, who rose to prominence on Saturday Night Live before playing a wonderfully OTT, bastardised version of himself - Tracy Jordan - on Tina Fey's wildly successful comedy series, remains in intensive care at New Jersey's Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Centre, with few expectations of immediate change to his condition.
If you feel so inclined, you can join fans and friends from around the world in tweeting your thoughts and/or prayers for Morgan using the #PrayForTracy and #PrayForTracyMorgan hashtags on Twitter.
Or, if you'd rather just show solidarity by enjoying some of the man's excellent work, you can do that here, too:
