Legendary Canadian comedian and actor Norm Macdonald dead at 61

Canadian comedian and actor Norm Macdonald has died.

His management firm confirmed to Deadline that he died today following a lengthy, nine-year private battle with cancer.

He was just 61 years old.

BREAKING: Norm MacDonald has died "after a long and private battle with cancer"

The influential comedian and former 'SNL' Weekend Update anchor was 61 https://t.co/wSbwGQ8Syp

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) September 14, 2021

Known for his deadpan style and always-witty observations, Macdonald burst onto the scene when he became a Saturday Night Live cast member in 1993.

After spending five years on SNL, Macdonald left the popular show in 1998 and starred in the movie Dirty Work before creating The Norm Show, which ran from 1999 to 2001.

The Quebec City native brought his talent and presence to a number of projects, primarily as a voice actor, during the 2000s, but some of his most memorable work came on late-night television at the end of the decade.

He was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, providing the audience with constant laughter by simply being the naturally-hilarious man that he was.

I am absolutely devastated about Norm Macdonald. 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.

— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) September 14, 2021

"I am absolutely devastated about Norm Macdonald. Norm had the most unique comedic voice I have ever encountered and he was so relentlessly and uncompromisingly funny," Conan tweeted about his friend's passing.

"I will never laugh that hard again. I'm so sad for all of us today."

An iconic example of Macdonald's relentless and uncompromising humour is the moth joke he delivered during a 2009 appearance on the show, in which he creates a dramatic, three-minute long leadup to a simple punchline about a moth being attracted to light.

It certainly doesn’t sound like it would be that funny, but Macdonald’s masterful delivery has cemented the segment as one of the best in late-night talk show history.

If you haven’t seen it, we won’t even try to do it justice, just watch it below:

The Norm Macdonald "moth Joke," one of the greatest jokes every told on television. pic.twitter.com/daC9oPVPsU

— Lights, Camera, Pod (@LightsCameraPod) September 14, 2021

Macdonald spent most of his final decade doing stand-up specials and a couple varieties of his own show, but now we also know he was battling cancer during that time as well.

Longtime friend and producing partner, Lori Jo Hoekstra told Deadline that Macdonald had been battling the disease for nearly a decade, “but was determined to keep his health struggles private, away from family, friends and fans.”

If that doesn’t sum up the legendary Canadian, we don’t know what would.

Even battling the worst disease on the planet, Macdonald was dead set on doing one thing and one thing only.

He didn’t want sympathy, well-wishes or anything like that, he simply wanted to make people happy by making them laugh.

_{Thumbnail photo courtesy of Getty Images.}