Norm Macdonald dead at 61
September 14, 2021 Matt Kleinschmidt Features, In Memoriam, Norm Macdonald
Man, this one hurts.
Norm Macdonald, one of the greatest living comedians on the planet, has passed away. He was 61 years old.
The news is shocking to many since not many people knew the comedian was sick. Along with the news of his death, came the revelation that he was privately battling cancer for almost a decade. News he apparently did not choose to disclose with many, including friends and family.
“He was most proud of his comedy,” Macdonald’s longtime producing partner and friend 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.”
Norm did everything, we could write this story just about his time on SNL between 1993-1998 and he’d be a legend. We could point out just moments in his stand-up and he’d be hugely influential. Hell, just his late night appearances on Conan O’Brien alone deserve their own highlight reel. This is all before there’s even mention of his sitcom and movie work on classic 90s films.
We’re sure the think pieces and tributes from comic royalty will emerge just showing how deep his influence reaches…
But for now, we’ll just have to say… Rest in Peace, Turd Ferguson, Burt Reynolds, Norm.
