Comedian and former SNL cast member, Norm Macdonald, has passed away at 61 after a nine-year private battle with cancer.
The Canadian celebrity was renowned in the 90’s for his dry, deadpan delivery and his unmatched impressions of television stars such as Burt Reynolds.
Longtime friend and producing partner, Lori Jo Hoekstra, mentioned that Macdonald was incredibly proud of his comedy and did not want his health issues to become affiliated with his public image.
In an interview with Deadline, Hoekstra said:
“He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him. Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly”.
Macdonald’s comedic finesse made him the perfect candidate to host SNL’s Weekend Update. One of his favourite targets at the time was OJ Simpson, who had just been acquitted from his murder charges.
Macdonald presented a fake news segment regarding the acquittal, saying: “Well, it’s finally official. Murder is legal in the state of California.”
NBC Entertainment executive, Don Ohlymeyer, a friend of Simpson’s was not happy with the consistent OJ joke from Macdonald, firing him in 1998.
Regardless, Macdonald held no grudges and expressed his gratitude for the opportunity: “I always understood that Ohlmeyer could fire me, because he was the guy who owned the cameras, so that didn’t bother me. I was always happy that SNL gave me a chance.”
Unfortunately, he did not achieve the same comedic success after he was fired from the show. But continued to work tirelessly in the comedy realm.
Throughout his career, Macdonald would go on to appear in a number of films and TV shows, including The Norm Show, Billy Madison and The Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget.
He also succeeded in voice acting, where he brought to life characters such as Lucky in Dr. Doolittle, Death in Family Guy and, more recently, an alcoholic pigeon in Mike Tyson Mysteries.
His death has understandably left Hollywood shaken, with friends paying their respects to the late comedian:
Every one of us loved Norm. Some of the hardest laughs of my life with this man. Most fearless funny original guy we knew. An incredible dad. A great friend. A legend. Love u pal. pic.twitter.com/2Pftw28uPc
— Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) September 14, 2021
Oh fuck. I was a huge fan of Norm Macdonald and I essentially ripped off his delivery when I first started acting. I would stay up specifically to watch him on talk shows. He was the funniest guest of all time. We lost a comedy giant today. One of the the all time greats. RIP.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) September 14, 2021
“I’m pretty sure, I’m not a doctor — but I’m pretty sure if you die, the cancer dies at the same time. That’s not a loss. That’s a draw.”
– Norm Macdonald
Rest, Norm… pic.twitter.com/UDclRTu6hk
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) September 14, 2021
Sad for the loss of a wonderful man and a great comic, Norm Macdonald. Prayers for his family.
— Tim Allen (@ofctimallen) September 14, 2021
Macdonald influenced a generation of comedians and will undoubtedly continue to do so.
He will be greatly missed.
