Norm Macdonald, a comedian best known for being a cast member onSaturday Night Live,has diedafter privately battling cancer for nine years. He was 61.
Macdonald died Tuesday and his friend and longtime producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra toldDeadlinethat “he was most proud of his comedy.”
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News of Macdonald’s passing sparked emotional and heartfelt reactions from stars across social media.
SaidConan O’Brien, “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. I will never laugh that hard again. I’m so sad for all of us today.”
Seth Rogenshared his admiration for Macdonald’s work throughout the years.
“Oh f—. I was a huge fan of Norm Macdonald and I essentially ripped off his delivery when I first started acting,” Rogen, 39,tweeted. “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.”
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Jim Carreytweeted: “My dear friend Norm MacDonald passed after a brave 10 year battle. He was one of our most precious gems. An honest and courageous comedy genius. I love him.”
Responding toDeadline’s tweetabout Macdonald’s passing,Meghan McCainwroteon Twitter: “Gutted.”
“One of the great comedic geniuses, free thinkers, all around true originals of all time,“The Viewalum, 36, continued. “[My husband]Ben [Domenech]and I were lucky enough to see him perform in Vegas and it was incredible. Beyond tragic. Condolences to his friends, family and loved ones.”
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Jon Stewarttweetedthat “no one could make you break like Norm Macdonald,” calling the late comedian both “hilarious and unique.” Stewart, 58, added: “F— cancer.”
“Of the many addictive rabbit holes you can disappear down on the internet, the most pleasurable is ‘Norm MacDonald chat show appearances,'” director Edgar Wrighttweeted. “Thanks for all the laughs Norm, very sorry to see you go.”
Alongside a broken heart emoji,Whitney Cummingswrote: “Norm is the pinnacle of bravery and originality.”
Dane Cookreflected on Macdonald’s legacy. “Norm MacDonald, 61, has died of that damn cancer. He leaves behind a thousand clips online that are all funny,” Cook, 49,tweeted. “He had a way about him you could never describe, you could only tell someone… ‘just watch him and laugh.'”
“Today is a sad day. All of us here atSNLmourn 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,” a rep forSNLsaid on behalf of the show. “But most of all he was just plain funny. No one was funny like Norm.”
Macdonald was aSaturday Night Livecast member from 1993 to 1998. During his time on the NBC sketch comedy, he also anchored the show’sWeekend Updatesegment for three seasons.
In recent years, Macdonald appeared onMike Tyson Mysteries,The OrvilleandThe Middle.
source: people.com
