A Twin Cities comedian and actor who fell while walking among ruins on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico has died, friends said Tuesday.
Gus Lynch, of White Bear Lake, died Monday while vacationing with his wife and their two children in Akumal, home to a comedy festival he founded. Lynch, born Jason Michael Gustine, was 42.
Lynch fell about 30 feet a few days earlier and suffered significant injuries, said fellow Twin Cities performer and close friend Bryan Bevell.
"He had a broken pelvis and punctured lung, and he came out of surgery fine," Bevell said. But Lynch suffered cardiac arrest Monday morning in Mexico, he said.
In his 15 years of performing, Lynch opened for David Alan Grier and other big names in comedy. As an actor, he made more than two dozen feature film and television appearances and has worked on screen with Owen Wilson, Charlize Theron and Jack Black, among others. His movie credits include "North Country" and a remake of "I Spy." He also won roles on such Twin Cities stages as the Jungle Theater and the History Theatre.
He appeared on the Stand Up! Records compilation CD "Nerd Alert" and held the position director of live events for that Twin Cities label.
He started the Akumal Comedy Festival in 2012. It was scheduled next year for mid-April in the Caribbean beachside destination south of Cancun.
"Gus is my closest and oldest friend," said Bevell, recalling how the two met about 12 years ago during an audition. "When we met, I was struck by what an extraordinarily strong actor he was."
