'SNL' Star Norm Macdonald Dies At Age 61 After Long Battle With Cancer

Comedian Norm Macdonald has passed away at the age of 61, after battling cancer for over a decade.

According to multiple reports, the 'Saturday Night Live' star died on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, after privately fighting the deadly disease for over nine years.

The tragic passing was announced by his management inside Brillstein Entertainment. Norm, who was one of the most beloved characters on the long-running sketch comedy show was with his friend and producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra, at the time of his death.

MacDonald was fighting the deadly disease in private and reportedly was determined to keep his health struggles away from his family, friends, and especially fans. “He was most proud of his comedy,” Hoekstra said in a statement.

She continued, “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's career was partially defined by his refusal to go easy on O.J. Simpson after he was accused of killing his wife Nicole. Despite reported pressure from 'SNL' executives, he continued to blast the former football star making it one of the most controversial things on the show. In the end, many believed he was fired from 'SNL' due to his "lambasting of O.J. Simpson as a murderer." At the time, the President of NBC's West Coast Division was a friend of Simpson.

In 1999, Norm starred in his own comedy series, 'The Norm Show,' and made numerous appearances on 'Late Night With David Letterman' and 'Conan.'

For the younger generation, Norm is well known for his appearances on the 'Howard Stern Show' alongside one of his best friend's Artie Lange. The former 'SNL' star was the punch line of many of Artie's insane stories about growing up in the comedy world and wrote about the duo's experiences in his best-selling books.