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Crime & Safety

Bay Area Comedian Dies in Solo Vehicle Crash by Golden Gate Fields

The Albany Police Department released information Friday about Wednesday's fatal crash, which resulted in the death of Bay Area comedian Kibibi Dillon. Watch footage of Dillon performing, as well as video from a Dec. 30 vigil for her.

Early Wednesday morning, a 33-year-old woman who grew up in Berkeley and Richmond died when her car overturned in the parking lot. 

The woman was identified by authorities as Kibibi Talibah Dillon of Sacramento, according to information released by the .

Detective Sgt. David Bettencourt said Dillon's death appears to have been due to a solo car crash, but that police are conducting a preliminary investigation to rule out other possibilities.

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On Wednesday at 6:31 a.m., police received a 911 call reporting an overturned vehicle in the lower parking lot at Golden Gate Fields. 

According to the , Dillon was in her car heading north past the track, from the direction of Gilman Street, at about 30 mph when she drove through a chain-link fence and crossed a patch of ice plants and other vegetation. Her vehicle then dropped down a 40-foot cliff into the lower parking lot. 

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When police and firefighters arrived, they found a Gray 2010 Dodge Caliber on its roof, which had collapsed into the passenger compartment. 

Firefighters used hydraulic tools to open the car, and found Dillon deceased inside. It took an hour or more to access the vehicle, according to the Fire Department. Dillon was wearing her seatbelt.

The Alameda County coroner's office took possession of the body, and will be responsible for investigating cause of death. The coroner's bureau identified Dillon and notified her family on Wednesday.

"GOOD SPIRITED AND HAPPY"

According to the Albany Police Department, Dillon was described by family and friends as a good spirited and happy comedian and actress.

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More than a hundred people commented on Twitter and Facebook about their sorrow and dismay at hearing the news of Dillon's death. Many also reflected on her positive spirit and talent on stage.

One friend, James Carter, wrote about Dillon's death on his blog: "Kibibi followed life. Wherever it took her, she went. Whether creating a salon in her living room, filling the Zipper with joy and dreams, or kicking it at a club with other comics, Kibibi lived her life."

He continued: "She’d always been funny. Knew how to MC an event. But she wanted to be a comedian. For real. She wanted to tell the same twenty minutes to people gig after gig. She wanted to clown the crowd. She wanted to hit eight clubs in one night. And she didn’t want to hear you think women aren’t funny.'

Carter included a 2009 YouTube video of Dillon with his post, and we have linked it to this story. There is also footage of Dillon performing on video-hosting site Vimeo. (Her routines include language that may not be appropriate for minors.)

A BAY AREA NATIVE

In this October performance, Dillon said she grew up in Richmond and Berkeley.

"Richmond and Berkeley, that's some different shit, you know what I mean. Like Richmond and Berkeley, you learn different shit. So, you know, when I was with my mom in north Richmond, we'd learn how to, like, you know, spy on prostitutes and not get caught. On the weekends with my dad in Berkeley, we learned how to make hummous..." 

According to Dillon's website, she received her bachelor's in fine arts from Howard University and later developed performance skills in improvisation, stand-up and sketch comedy. 

In her biography, she wrote that "Her first role was as 'tough-lil-sister-who-doesn't-get-beat-up-because-I-can-make-you-laugh' in which she features alongside an all-star 8 sibling cast." 

She also shared some personal reflections on her Facebook page: "I stand humbled and amazed when a body lets the spirit take over while on stage. I'm in love with the passion of all shades of RED and the humility of all shades of BLUE and if your heart beats to the rhythm of truth then part of me is in love with you too."

Another friend, Aminah Imani, writing of Dillon's death online, said "the way she commanded the stage was incredible and domineering; something definitely to admire. There are times when comedians say jokes and you think to yourself, 'damn i wish I thought of that' and she definitely had a few jokes of the sort."

Did you know Kibibi Dillon? Please share memories and photographs here.

A has been organized by friends to help her family raise money for memorial costs.

A memorial service will be held at the Antioch Progressive Baptist Church, 7650 Amherst St., in Sacramento on Jan. 7 at 1 p.m. 

Read members in our Storify post about Dillon.

If there's something in this article you think , or if something else is amiss, call editor Emilie Raguso at 510-459-8325 or email at albany@patch.com.  

[Editor's Note: This piece originally was published on Dec. 30, 2011.]

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