Television

Canadian comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member Norm Macdonald dies at 61

by Craig Takeuchi on September 14th, 2021 at 12:52 PM
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      Comedians, comedy fans, television viewers, and many more are in shock and mourning after news broke today (September 14) that a Canadian talent, who made audiences laugh with his deadpan delivery of wry and incisive observations, has died in Los Angeles. He was 61 years old, about one month shy of his 62nd birthday.

      Canadian comedian Norm Macdonald, who was born in Quebec City on October 17, 1959, had been privately battling cancer for the past nine years, according to news reports.

      After performing at comedy clubs in Canada, Macdonald began as a screenwriter for the TV sitcom Roseanne in 1992.

      He then rose to fame as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, starting in 1993, alongside the likes of Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, former Kids in the Hall star Mark McKinney, and others.

      On SNL, Macdonald became best known as an anchor on the fake news segment Weekend Update and for his impressions of Burt Reynolds (particularly in Celebrity Jeopardy skits).

      After his departure from SNL in 1998, Macdonald went on to star in the TV series The Norm Show, did voice work (the Dr. Doolittle movie series, Bell Mobility ads in Canada), and hosted the podcast Norm Macdonald Live.

      However, video and audio recordings of his work continue to entertain audiences and make people laugh. 

      Many celebrities—including Vancouver's Seth Rogen and Brent Butt, fellow Canadian comedians Jim Carrey and Eugene Levy, and all five Kids in the Hall cast members—expressed their sadness and condolences on social media, as well as their appreciation for Macdonald's unique style.

      https://www.instagram.com/p/CT0XkwjDjO_
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      Craig Takeuchi

      @Cinecraig

      The urban beastie otherwise known as Craig Takeuchi is a UBC BA (art history/film studies) and MFA (Creative Writing program, with a screenplay thesis) graduate who has had his fiction and non-fiction work published in numerous local and national publications. He's covered a wide range of topics...

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