Norm Macdonald, the witty, sardonic, deadpan comedian known for his tenure as the anchor of "Weekend Update" on "Saturday Night Live" has died after a private battle with cancer, according to his management firm Brillstein Entertainment Partners. He was 61 years old.


What You Need To Know

  • Norm Macdonald, the witty, sardonic, deadpan comedian known for his tenure as the anchor of "Weekend Update" on "Saturday Night Live" has died after a private battle with cancer

  • Macdonald was fighting cancer for nine years, but did not want to share his battle with the public

  • Many of Macdonald's comedic contemporaries, including Steve Martin, Gilbert Gottfried, Jim Carrey, Jon Stewart and Sarah Silverman, took to Twitter to memorialize the beloved Canadian comedian

The news was first reported by Deadline. The comic was privately fighting cancer for nine years, but did not want to share his battle with the public. 

“He was most proud of his comedy,” his longtime producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra told Deadline. “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, born and raised in Quebec City, Canada, got his start in show business as a writer on "Roseanne" in 1992 before joining the cast of "SNL" in 1993. He became known for his esoteric impressions, including Burt Reynolds, who gave Will Ferrell’s Alex Trebek character grief on “Celebrity Jeopardy.” He also impersonated Bob Dole, Larry King and David Letterman.

"Norm ... was a great talent, and I loved laughing with him on SNL," Dole, 98, who is battling lung cancer, wrote on Twitter. "*Bob Dole* will miss Norm Macdonald."

He became the anchor of "Weekend Update" the next year until 1998, when he was removed from the role by NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer, citing declining ratings. During appearances on "The Howard Stern Show" and "The Late Show with David Letterman," Macdonald later accused Ohlmeyer of objecting to jokes about O.J. Simpson during and after his high-profile trial for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Simpson was acquitted of the murders.

In a 2011 interview with the New York Times, Macdonald later walked that back, saying, "I don’t think it had anything to do with O.J."

“I think it was just, the guy didn’t like me,” he said of Ohlmeyer. “But I understand completely why. He was watching [then-"Tonight Show" host Jay] Leno get wall-to-wall laughs every night for 10 minutes. And then I had five minutes a week and I’m doing non sequiturs.”

Ohlmeyer, who passed away in 2017, called Macdonald "a very talented guy" but defended his decision: "Maybe it was the right decision, maybe it was the wrong decision, but it was made because of what I thought was in the best interest of the show."

Macdonald went on to star in the film "Dirty Work," directed by Bob Saget, co-starring "Mad TV" alum Artie Lange, and featuring memorable cameos from Don Rickles, Adam Sandler, John Goodman and Chris Farley in what would be his final film appearance. Macdonald would later cast Lange again in his ABC sitcom "The Norm Show," which ran on ABC from 1999 to 2001. On the show, Macdonald played former professional hockey player kicked out of the NHL for gambling and tax evasion and forced into community service as a social worker.

Macdonald made a number of memorable appearances over the years, including numerous guest stints "Letterman," "Stern," and various iterations of Conan O'Brien's late night shows, lending his iconic voice to animated shows such as "Family Guy" and "Mike Tyson's Mysteries," and an uproarious performance on "The Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget," which many people shared on social media after news broke of his passing.

"I am absolutely devastated about Norm Macdonald. Norm had the most unique comedic voice I have ever encountered and he was so relentlessly and uncompromisingly funny," O'Brien wrote on Twitter. "I will never laugh that hard again. I'm so sad for all of us today."

He most recently hosted "Norm Macdonald Has a Show" in 2018 for Netflix, where he interviewed a number of celebrities, including Letterman, Drew Barrymore, Judge Judy Sheindlin, Michael Keaton and "SNL" helmer Lorne Michaels.

Many of Macdonald's comedic contemporaries, as well as dozens of fans and comics that he inspired, took to Twitter to memorialize the Canadian comic, devastated by news of his passing.

Longtime collaborator Lange wrote, "I will miss you forever!", sharing a picture of the two of them from "The Howard Stern Show" studio.

"We loved Norm MacDonald," Steve Martin wrote. "One of a kind."

"My dear friend Norm MacDonald passed after a brave 10 year battle," Jim Carrey wrote. "He was one of our most precious gems. An honest and courageous comedy genius. I love him."

"I was a huge fan of Norm Macdonald and I essentially ripped off his delivery when I first started acting," Seth Rogen posted to Twitter. "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."

Comedian Whitney Cummings called Macdonald "the pinnacle of bravery and originality," while Tim Dillon hailed him as "one of the greatest comedians to have ever lived."

"Good bye, Norm. You were never not 100% hilarious," Patton Oswalt said.

"Norm was in a comedy genre of his own," Sarah Silverman wrote. "No one like him on this planet. Please do yourself a favor and watch his stuff. He was one of a kind of all time."

"RIP Norm MacDonald who made me laugh harder than just about anyone ever," Ringer founder Bill Simmons wrote.

"Norm Macdonald was an irreplaceable voice in comedy," the official Twitter account of Comedy Central posted. "His commitment to jokes and unique perspective will inspire generations."

"I’ve got so many laughs in my life by just repeating Norm MacDonald jokes," Ike Barinholtz wrote. "One of the funniest to ever do it - RIP to a king."

"No one could make you break like Norm Macdonald," Jon Stewart said on Twitter. "Hilarious and unique. F*** cancer."

"This photo was taken after I was a guest on Norm's show," Gilbert Gottfried wrote alongside a photo of himself, MacDonald, and comedians Saget and Jeff Ross. "At dinner the laughs just continued nonstop. He will be missed. RIP Norm Macdonald."

"No, please, not Norm," Ross wrote in a separate post.

"RIP Norm Macdonald," former presidential and New York mayoral candidate Andrew Yang wrote on Twitter. "He was a true original."

NBC released a statement on behalf of "Saturday Night Live," saying, "Today is a sad day."

"All of us here at `SNL' mourn the loss of Norm Macdonald, one of the most impactful comedic voices of his or any other generation. There are so many things that we'll miss about Norm -- from his unflinching integrity to his generosity to his consistent ability to surprise. But more of all he was just plain funny. No one was funny like Norm."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.