Norm Macdonald Passes Away From Cancer At Age 61

The comedy world lost an iconic figure Tuesday morning with the death of comedian/actor Norm Macdonald. Variety.com was the first to report Macdonald’s passing as the Dirty Work star has been privately battling cancer for the past nine years. Macdonald was 61.

A Canadian stand-up comedian best known for his deadpan style, Macdonald’s first performances in comedy were at stand-up clubs in Ottawa, regularly appearing on amateur nights at Yuk Yuk’s in 1985. Following an appearance at the 1986 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, he was heralded by the Montreal Gazette as, “One of this country’s hottest comics.” By 1990, he would perform as a contestant on Star Search. 

Macdonald would break into Hollywood as a writer for the classic 1990s sitcom Roseanne. He would later make guest appearances on shows such as The Drew Carey Show and NewsRadio. Norm joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1993, and the next year he began his memorable stint as Weekend Update anchor. He was fired from the anchor gig in early 1998 by NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer; Macdonald claimed the reason was for making jokes about Ohlmeyer friend O.J. Simpson in the wake of the murders of Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman. He would be replaced by fellow cast member Colin Quinn.

He created and starred as a former hockey player with a gambling problem who becomes a social worker on the ABC sitcom Norm, which ran for three seasons, from 1999-2001. In 2013, Macdonald started a video podcast, Norm Macdonald Live, on which he interviewed comedians and other celebrities. In 2018, he released Norm Macdonald Has a Show, a Netflix talk show with a similar premise to his podcast. Throughout his career, Macdonald appeared in numerous movies and was a guest on talk shows such as Conan, Late Night with David Letterman, and The Howard Stern Show. He also worked as a voice actor, notably on the animated show Mike Tyson Mysteries.

Paste Magazine named him #31 on their 50 Best Stand-up Comics of All Time.

We Own The Laughs would like to send our thoughts and prayers to Norm Macdaonld family and close friends as they deal with this untimely passing.