Comedian Norm Macdonald, a Saturday Night Live alum best known for hosting the show's iconic "Weekend Update" segment, has died after a long battle with cancer, according to Deadline and Variety. He was 61.
Deadline reports that Macdonald had privately been battling the disease for nine years.
Macdonald was a cast member of SNL from 1993 to 1998. He began hosting the "Weekend Update" segment a year later. Known for his dry delivery and heavy-swinging punchlines, Macdonald is known as one of the segment's most beloved hosts.
Macdonald was removed as the "Weekend Update" anchor in 1998. He left SNL a short time later.
While NBC execs maintained the move was made to salvage sinking ratings, Macdonald said he believed he was removed because of his often repeated jokes made at the expense of O.J. Simpson. Simpson had been acquitted of murder in 1995 following a high-profile court case.
Following his stint on SNL, Macdonald starred in his own ABC sitcom, "The Norm Show," which ran for three seasons from 1999 to 2001. Macdonald later hosted several talk shows like Netflix's "Norm Macdonald Has a Show" and "Norm Macdonald Live."
Macdonald also had featured roles in some of the most iconic comedy films of his era, including "Billy Madison," "The Animal" and "Dirty Work."
