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‘SNL’ Comedian Norm Macdonald Dead At 61 Of Cancer

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This article is more than 2 years old.
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 05:21pm EDT

Topline

Comedian Norm Macdonald, known for his stand-up comedy and appearances on Saturday Night Live, died Tuesday at the age of 61 after a private battle with cancer, according to multiple news sites.

Key Facts

Macdonald’s management firm, Brillstein Entertainment, confirmed his death to Deadline

Lori Jo Hoekstra, the comedian’s friend and writing partner, told Deadline Macdonald had been privately battling cancer for nine years, saying, “he never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him.”

Macdonald had continued doing stand-up comedy shows and was scheduled to appear in the New York Comedy Festival in November.

Tangent

Many fellow actors and comedians turned to social media to honor Macdonald, often discussing his “comedic genius” over the years. Comedian Jim Carrey said on Twitter, Macdonald “was one of our most precious gems.” Actor Steve Martin called Macdonald, “one of a kind.” Comedian Seth MacFarlane said on Twitter, Macdonald was “so hilarious and so generous with his personality.”

Key Background

Macdonald got his start in Hollywood writing for the show Roseanne in 1992. He then became a cast member on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 1993, where he worked on sketches and did celebrity impressions, most notably of Burt Reynolds and Larry King. He also anchored the SNL “Weekend Update” for three seasons. After five years, he left the show in 1998 to star in his own sitcom, the Norm Show, which ran until 2001. His most recent comedy stint was on a talk show on Netflix called Norm Macdonald Has a Show, which only lasted one season. He also appeared in movies like Billy Madison, Grown Ups, Dr. Dolittle and Dirty Work and made multiple appearances on late night television shows like Late Night With David Letterman and Conan.

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