(NEXSTAR) – The comedy community is paying tribute to Norm Macdonald after his passing at the age of 61.
Macdonald, the former “Saturday Night Live” star and actor known for his signature deadpan delivery, died after a private nine-year battle with cancer, according to Brillstein Entertainment Partners, his management firm in Los Angeles.
News of Macdonald’s passing came as a shock not only to fans, but also his fellow comedians and contemporaries. Within hours of the reports, Macdonald’s friends and former co-stars took to social media to pay tribute to one of their favorite comedy legends.
“I am absolutely devastated about Norm Macdonald,” wrote Conan O’Brien, who frequently hosted Macdonald on his late-night show. “Norm had the most unique comedic voice I have ever encountered and he was so relentlessly and uncompromisingly funny. I will never laugh that hard again. I’m so sad for all of us today.”
Comedian and actor Artie Lange, who co-starred with Macdonald in “Dirty Work” and on “The Norm Show,” shared a photo of the two during Lange’s tenure on Howard Stern’s radio program. “I will miss you forever,” Lange wrote.
Fellow actors, comedians and “SNL” alumni — including Sarah Silverman, Albert Brooks, Rob Schneider and Gilbert Gottfried — also heaped praise on Macdonald’s gift for comedy. Jim Carrey, who appeared on Macdonald’s podcast in 2017, even described Macdonald as a “comedic genius.”
Even Senator Bob Dole, whom Macdonald impersonated on “SNL,” lamented his passing.
“*Bob Dole* will miss Norm Macdonald,” Dole joked.
Macdonald began his career in Canada as a stand-up comedian before becoming a writer on “Roseanne.” He later joined the cast of “SNL” where he served as the anchor for “Weekend Update” between 1993 and 1998. He went on to appear in dozens of movies and television programs, including his own sitcom “The Norm Show.”
More recently, he hosted in his own talk show for Netflix, titled “Norm Macdonald Has a Show.”