Stand-up comedian Richard Jeni, who was a frequent guest on the Tonight Show and appeared in several films, has died in an apparent suicide.

In the sad and gruesome affair, LAPD stated that a woman called on Saturday and reported her boyfriend had "just shot himself in the face".

Officers found Jeni, 49, alive but fatally wounded in a West Hollywood home. He died later in hospital. While it seems quite apparently the case, Police spokeswoman Norma Eisenman said suicide had not been officially confirmed. An autopsy is due to be performed today.