Comedian Norm MacDonald dies at 61

Norm Macdonald

Norm Macdonald

Popular Canadian comedian, Norm MacDonald has passed away at 61 after a nine-year battle with cancer.

The management firm Brillstein Entertainment broke the news in a statement on Wednesday.

Lori Jo Hoekstra, the comedian’s longtime producing partner, said he had been battling cancer for about ten years but kept his health struggles away from family, friends, and fans.

The Canadian comic was born in Quebec City in 1959 and got his start in Canadian clubs before moving to the US to pursue TV comedy writing.

He worked for the Roseanne programme before joining Saturday Night Live to host news parody skit Weekend Update.

Known for his dry delivery, Macdonald had fans in the US and worldwide.

“He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.”

“He was most proud of his comedy. 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 said.

He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.”

The Canadian comic had featured in several movies and TV shows including; ‘Saturday Night Live’, ‘Dirty Work’, ‘The Norm Show’ and had also starred as a voice actor on the animated show ‘Mike Tyson Mysteries’.

He started a video podcast titled, ‘ Norm Macdonald Live’, in 2013, on which comedians and other celebrities were interviewed.

Macdonald was also known for his roles in comedy films such as Dirty Work, Billy Madison and Dr Doolittle.

According to Deadline, he was slated to appear in the New York Comedy Festival in November.

Macdonald was known for his deadpan delivery style, and impressions of Hollywood stars such as Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood and Quentin Tarantino.

After leaving Saturday Night Live, he starred in his own comedy series, Norm, from 1999 to 2001.

In 2018, he also released ‘Norm MacDonald Has a Show’, a Netflix programme with a similar premise to his podcast.

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