Life is often a balancing act and no one knew that better than Tracy F. King, who had the uncanny ability to balance large objects on his chin.

NPNP-- thanks King, after an ear operation at age 13, acquired an acute sense of balance.

He balanced a 17-foot canoe on his chin during a 1993 appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

"He would take anything, like a motor scooter, lift it from the ground, up to his face, tilt his head back and rest it there," said his agent, Al Salzillo.

King, 39, learned about equilibrium and balance and would entertain and educate children during appearances in the area.

King, a graduate of Toll Gate High in Warwick, worked for the Warwick Department of Public Works.

"He was larger than life," Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian said of the colorful, 6-foot-2, 300-pound King. "He was the first employee I hired, beyond my staff here."

King was working his part-time security job at The Station on Thursday night. Patrons said King was trying to help people escape the fire, Avedisian said.

He lived in Warwick with his wife, Evelyn (Paolilli) King, and two sons, Joshua and Jacob King. A third son, Jordan, lives in Providence. He leaves five brothers and a sister.