Overview

• Kirby died July 11 at the University of Vermont Medical Center, two months after being hospitalized for esophageal, kidney and bladder complications and related infections.
• He first gained attention when Peter Farrelly wrote the role of Walt in 2001’s Shallow Hal specifically for him, bringing an authentic disability portrayal to a mainstream comedy.
• Born with spina bifida, Kirby mastered walking on his hands, became a state gymnastics champion and decorated swimmer and skier, and spent twenty years working at IBM.
• After beating throat cancer—which required removal of his larynx—he appeared in the Farrelly brothers’ Stuck on You (2003) and made his final screen appearance on HBO’s Carnivàle (2005).
• Survived by his mother and six siblings, he was celebrated in Burlington for his resilience and his motto, “You don’t have to stand up to stand out.”