Comedian Norm Macdonald, who had been battling cancer privately for the past nine years, died on Tuesday.
his death was confirmed time limit by his management team at Brillstein Entertainment.
Longtime production partner and friend Lori Jo Hoekstra, 61, was with him when he passed. He told Deadline that MacDonald had been battling cancer for nearly a decade, but urged family, friends and fans to stick to his diagnosis.
He was most proud of his comedy, said Hoekstra. ‘He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way viewers or any of his loved ones saw him. Norm was a pure humour. He once wrote that ‘a joke should be caught by surprise, it should never go astray.’ He certainly never strayed. Norm will be greatly missed.’
Norm Macdonald starred as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1993–1998. He was at the helm of the Weekend Update desk for three seasons where he made his biggest impact
Former SNL star has died after a nine-year secret battle with cancer
The famed comedian was best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, where he served as a cast member from 1993– 1998 and as the show’s anchor in its Weekend Update segment.
McDonald was considered the best anchor to host the segment by Chevy Chase, who had held the position before him. McDonald’s time at the helm of Weekend Update shifted the popular portion of the show away from Chase’s slapstick comedy and took the news to a more politically charged approach that is seen today.
He was known for his strong commentary on OJ Simpson, despite the precedent reported by NBC executives to tone it down. He is believed to have been fired from the show in 1999 due to his sharp humorous criticism. It is also alleged that this was one of the few decisions about the show that was not left to producer Lorne Michaels.
He also starred in a long list of popular movies and television shows till 2020. Macdonald often starred in his films with fellow former SNL cast members, such as Billy Madison starring Adam Sandler, The Animals starring Rob Schneider, Dirty Work with Chevy Chase, and Eddie Murphy starring Dr. Dolittle.
Years later, MacDonald was embroiled in controversy over comments he made about the #MeToo movement during an interview. Hollywood Reporter.
McDonald said he was glad the #MeToo movement had slowed down a bit, claiming that People used to get a second chance, but the #MeToo movement gave ‘no apologies’.
McDonald said he arrived early to tape a segment, just hours after telling The Hollywood Reporter he wanted Louis CK and Roseanne Barr to get together and admire because they lost everything in the #MeToo movement. Had given. These comments made senior producers on The Tonight Show cry, they said
McDonald said he and Fallon agreed that he would not do the show in order not to harm the brand, when Fallon revealed the employees distress that McDonald would appear.
Macdonald said he added Louis CK, who was accused of sexual misconduct, and Roseanne Barr, who was fired from his show in May for racist comments, to talk about whether happened.
“There are very few people who have gone through what they have in one day, losing everything,” he said.
‘Of course, people will go, “What about the victims?” But you know what? The victims did not have to go through this.
Macdonald was criticized online for his comments, who thought he was dismissive of people who had revealed themselves to be victims of sexual assault, and by others who defended his comments to CK and Barr. Saw it as an attempt.
He then went to Howard Stern’s radio show and told her that his appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon had been canceled because his comments on the social movement made senior producers cry.
He later apologized for his comments. Tweet: ‘Both Roseanne and Louis have been great friends of mine for many years. They both made terrible mistakes and I will never defend their actions. If my words sounded like I was minimizing the pain their victims felt to this day, I am deeply sorry.’
According to his IMDB page, the Canadian star was slated to voice Grandpa in an “animated re-imagining of one of the largest wildfire evacuations in Canadian history,” titled “Back Home Again,” which is currently posted. – is in production.
He was scheduled to perform at the New York City Comedy Festival on November 11–14.
His death and secret cancer diagnosis were confirmed by his longtime productive partner and friend, Lori Jo Hoekstra.
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