Anthony (Tony) Wayne Burkett passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, after a long-fought battle with VHL and renal cancer. He fought to the very end, trusting God and His plan.
Tony was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida. He graduated from Pine Forest High School, Pensacola Junior College, and was an alumnus of Florida State University.
Tony was born with many talents, but his greatest gift was bringing people joy and making them laugh. At just six years old, after watching a Dave Coulier special on TV, he knew he wanted to be a comedian. His favorite comedian was Norm Macdonald, whom he was able to see twice on tour. Tony was at the forefront of bringing comedy to Pensacola. He started Backporch Comedy and was very active in the local comedy scene. He co-hosted Good Morning Jonestown with Russell Douglas Dickerson, hosted a podcast with Michael Perkinson, and made guest appearances on numerous others. A recent proud moment in his career was receiving the honor of “Best Comedian” in InWeekly’s Best of the Coast 2024.
Tony was an active member of Wellspring Pensacola. He loved his church family and cherished the time he spent with them, especially his house church group. He was an avid researcher who loved friendly debates and discussing his views on eschatology and unexplained phenomena.
Tony was the beloved son of Mary and Wayne Burkett. He is preceded in death by his Momma, his grandparents Dorothy and Louie Bolling, and Joe and Laverne Burkett. He is survived by his best friend and rescue dog, Gus; his loving father, Wayne; his sister and teammate in his fight, Tina; his brother-in-law, Dennis; his favorite person in the world, his nephew, Braeden; and his favorite little girl, his niece, Molly. He is also survived by his beloved Aunt Dottie, his cousins Lisa B. Anderson, Natalie Knight Murray, and Dorrie Knight Esposito, along with their husbands and children, Pace and Addie Murray.
Tony never met a stranger. Whether at his gym, his church, or through comedy, he formed friendships everywhere he went.
His family would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to all of his doctors and nurses in both Pensacola and Boston, especially the staff at West Florida Hospital for their support and genuine care. A special thank you to Ashley Pollard for joining us in the fight and continuing to advocate on his behalf.
His fight does not stop here, and as our sibling motto always was:
“We are a team, and we will figure this out!”
