Canadian Comic Norm Macdonald Dies at 61 After a Private Battle With Cancer

Norm Macdonald begins arsenic big of the Canadian Screen Awards successful Toronto connected March 13, 2016. Macdonald remembers the precocious Burt Reynolds arsenic a large storyteller and "hilarious" entertainer. (The Canadian Press/Peter Power)

TORONTO—Norm Macdonald, the deadpan Quebec comedian who roseate from Canadian nightclubs to the heights of “Saturday Night Live” fame has died astatine 61 aft a backstage conflict with cancer.

Representatives for his absorption bureau Brillstein Entertainment Partners confirmed the decease connected Tuesday, saying further details were not available.

The revelation came arsenic a daze to galore arsenic Macdonald hadn’t shared his diagnosis with his fans.

The Quebec City-raised standup was champion known for his tenure connected “Saturday Night Live” from 1993 to 1998 wherever helium appeared down the “Weekend Update” table to poke amusive astatine the latest quality events.

He besides made an content of Burt Reynolds arsenic a contestant connected “Jeopardy” 1 of his astir beloved characters.

Yuk Yuk’s co-founder Mark Breslin said Macdonald’s sheer prima powerfulness was wide from his earliest days connected the Canadian drama circuit wherever helium forged a unsocial dependable from the onset, impressing his peers.

“He combined a laconic transportation and a deadpan look, and yet helium had this large twinkle successful those bluish eyes of his that fto you cognize everything was benignant of a joke,” Breslin said.

“And it was a existent almighty operation each those things.”

Macdonald went connected to amass a devoted pursuing among drama fans for his ribald rejection of casual punchlines.

He would look successful a fig of films with his erstwhile “SNL” castmates, including Adam Sandler successful “Billy Madison” and Rob Schneider successful “The Animal.”

Macdonald besides led the 1998 Hollywood drama “Dirty Work,” directed by Bob Saget, wherever helium played 1 of 2 friends who motorboat a revenge-for-hire business. The movie was a box-office flop but recovered a cult pursuing erstwhile it was released connected location video.

Later successful his career, helium would big his ain Netflix speech amusement “Norm Macdonald Has a Show” and dependable the quality of Pigeon connected “Mike Tyson Mysteries.”

By David Friend and Adina Bresge