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Tributes are pouring in for Norm Macdonald after the the comedian and former “Saturday Night Live” cast member died on Tuesday. He was 61 years old.
Macdonald’s manager Marc Gurvitz confirmed Macdonald’s death, after a long but undisclosed battle with cancer. Macdonald’s comedy peers and fans took to social media to react to his unexpected death, remembering the comedian as a “legend” and “comedy giant.”
Conan O’Brien, who hosted Macdonald on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Conan” several times, said he’s “absolutely devastated” by the news.
“Norm had the most unique comedic voice I have ever encountered and he was so relentlessly and uncompromisingly funny,” O’Brien tweeted. “I will never laugh that hard again. I’m so sad for all of us today.”
Actor and comedian Bob Saget, who directed MacDonald in the 1998 comedy “Dirty Work,” said he “can’t accept” that his friend of four-plus decades is “gone.” In a nearly 38-minute-long video Saget posted on YouTube, the “Full House” star revealed that his last conversation with MacDonald was a text in which they told each other “I love you.”
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“One of the gifts of my life is that he loved me and that I loved him,” Saget said in the video. “Hell, I’m always going to love him. There’s not another guy like this guy.”
Norm Macdonald:‘SNL’ veteran and comedian dies of cancer at 61
Seth Rogen remembered Macdonald as “one of the all time greats” who inspired him.
“I was a huge fan of Norm Macdonald and I essentially ripped off his delivery when I first started acting,” Rogen 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.”
Adam Sandler said he experienced “some of the hardest laughs of my life” with Macdonald: “Every one of us loved Norm…Most fearless funny original guy we knew. An incredible dad. A great friend. A legend. Love u pal.”
“Oh my God,” Jim Gaffigan tweeted. “We lost a legend.” Gaffigan called Macdonald “punishingly funny” and “completely organic” with “a unique special point of view.”
Jim Carrey said Macdonald was “one of our most precious gems.”
“My dear friend Norm MacDonald passed after a brave 10 year battle,” Carrey tweeted. “An honest and courageous comedy genius. I love him.”
Macdonald is best known as a cast member on “SNL” from 1993-98, and especially his role as anchor of the show’s popular “Weekend Update” segment for three seasons. He also starred in several sitcoms and did voiceover work in animation.
“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,” the show said in a statement to USA TODAY. “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 most of all he was just plain funny. No one was funny like Norm.”
Jay Mohr, who appeared alongside Macdonald on “SNL” from 1993–1995, called the comedian’s death “a massive loss.” He tweeted, “In a business filled with rock and rollers, Norm Macdonald was playing jazz.”
Sarah Silverman, a “SNL” alum from 1993–1994, said Macdonald was in “a comedy genre of his own.” She added, “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.”
Michael McKean’s time on “SNL” from 1994–1995 also overlapped with Macdonald. He simply wrote, “Love you, Norm.”
During his time on the sketch-comedy series, Macdonald was known for his impressions of Larry King, Burt Reynolds and Bob Dole, among others.
Dole shared a picture on Twitter of Macdonald impersonating him. He said the comedian was “a great talent, and I loved laughing with him on SNL.”
Seth MacFarlane – creator of the animated series “Family Guy” and “The Orville,” where Macdonald voiced Lieutenant Yaphit – said he’s “gonna miss” the comedian.
“To so many people in comedy, me included, there was nobody funnier than Norm MacDonald,” MacFarlane tweeted. “You always hoped he would hang around after the work was done, just so you could hear his stories and get a laugh. So hilarious and so generous with his personality.”
Whitney Cummings said Macdonald “is the pinnacle of bravery and originality.”
Josh Gad said he’s “absolutely gutted” by Macdonald’s death. “Not Norm…One of the most underrated and hilarious SNL performers. RIP.”
Artie Lange shared a photo of himself and Macdonald embracing: “I will miss you forever!”
Eugene Levy tweeted: “Today the world lost a very, very funny man. We miss him already. R.I.P Norm Macdonald.”
Actor Stephen Amell said Macdonald was “my OG Weekend Update anchor and a pantheon level late night guest. So funny, witty, irreverent and understated. The comedy world just lost a 1 of 1. RIP.”
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