Who was Pat from Moonachie? Tributes pour in as popular competitive eater dies aged 59

The famous Pat from Moonachie, also known as Patrick Philbin, recently passed away at the age of 59. He gained recognition for his appearance on the radio show, Opie & Anthony.

Host Anthony Cumia of Opie & Anthony paid tribute to Philbin on social media, saying that he used to entertain everyone and remained an important part of the show for a long time.

Expressing his grief on Twitter, comedian Jim Norton wrote:

“Pat from Moonachie was a legend and responsible for iconically funny moments on the show. Pat was funny in the purest sense of the word. He always went for the laugh, every time in every situation. RIP to one of the greats.”

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Philbin’s cause of death was not revealed by his friends and family members. Over the last few years, he used to update his fans on social media about his medical treatment, which included dialysis and cataract surgery. His leg had to be cut off, following which he had to undergo hydrotherapy.

Philbin’s fans launched a GoFundMe page last year aiming to collect $20,000 when they were made aware of his health problems. Although there have been reports that Philbin died from some health issues, it remains unknown if they were the same issues he was suffering from all these years.

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"Kind, gentle, humorous": Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Philbin became a popular name over the years as a radio personality and competitive eater. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about his demise:

Philbin was known for participating in eating competitions and frequently appeared on Opie & Anthony.

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Pat from Moonachie was famous as an eating competitor

Philbin initially appeared on Opie & Anthony in 1995 and was featured on the show until 2014. He became people’s favorite when he accepted the challenge of taking 75 shots of a beverage.

Philbin was known for his appearance on Opie & Anthony (Image via Victnii/Twitter)

He then participated in a hot dog eating contest by Nathan’s Famous where he grabbed the second position by eating 26 hot dogs in ten minutes. In an interview with NJ.com, he said that he used to make hot dogs when he began to learn cooking. He added:

“You’ve got these young guys who are making it into an athletic event but I don’t take it that seriously.”

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Philbin wasn't very active on Instagram, with only four posts and 801 followers. His last post was back in November 2018, which was a video featuring cats. He was active on Twitter, where his posts featured the treatment he had to undergo due to his health issues.

Philbin is survived by his family members, whose identities have not yet been disclosed. Although he was a well-known personality, he did not have a Wikipedia page, and so detailed information about his parents and educational background remains unknown.

He never spoke about his personal life and so it is not known if he was married or dating someone.