The unfortunate passing of beloved comedian Norman Macdonald took place this past Tuesday, September 14. The 61-year-old father of one and his former husband passed away from a private war with cancer that he insisted to be kept from the public and other celebrities. Sources close to the comedian allegedly report that he did not want any sympathy or to be treated differently for his disease; he battled the unspoken secret for just about ten years before his tragic passing. Norm’s management team officially established and clarified his death on Deadline but for unknown reasons intentionally left out the specific type of cancer he developed.
The multi-talented entrepreneur is known for his many television appearances on Billy Madison, SNL, and Saturday Night Live; not to mention his programs Norm Macdonald Has a Show, Norm Macdonald Live, and The Norm Show. With him at the time of his death was his producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra who said, “He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him… He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.”
A plethora of fans and co-stars from past acting and television gigs took to their social media accounts to acknowledge and mourn this innocent death. Celebrities such as John Stewart, Adam Sandler, David Letterman, Patton Oswalt, Conan O’Brien, Jim Carrey, Seth Rogen and so many more made their thoughts known on the matter. “Oh f***. I was a huge fan of Norm Macdonald and I essentially ripped off his delivery when I first started acting. 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 all-time greats. RIP,” Seth Rogen stated towards his Twitter audience. Norm Macdonald was known as a great father, personality, and the right guy to give you a nice hard laugh. He will undoubtedly live forever in the hearts of the millions of lives he touched.