Norm Macdonald Remembered

[stevearino]

Hello Everyone,

As many of you know, earlier this week, September 14, 2021, the Entertainment world lost a legendary funnyman in Norm Macdonald.

Norm, age 61, died of Cancer after a 9-year private battle with Leukemia which he NEVER revealed publicly but only told a few close friends and acquaintances.

Born in Quebec City, Canada on October 17, 1959, Norman Gene Macdonald was the middle in a family of boys (including an older brother, Neil, who grew up to be a CBC Canada Journalist) born to parents Ferne and Percy Macdonald, both teachers. Percy died in 1990 of Heart Failure when Norm was age 30.

In the early '90s, Norm began his entertainment career as a writer for the hit '80s sitcom "Roseanne," a stint that led to a successful stand-up comedy career and eventually his big break for 5 years on "Saturday Night Live."

During his "Saturday Night Live" tenure, Norm parodied a number of his fellow celebs--especially Burt Reynolds in "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketches with Darrell Hammond (current "Saturday Night Live" announcer since 2014) as Sean Connery and Will Ferrell as Alex Trebek--as well as Bob Dole during Bob's 1996 Presidential Campaign against Bill Clinton (which Bob Dole lost, to be honest).

Norm also succeeded Kevin Nealon as "Weekend Update" anchor in 1994, during his 2nd season on "Saturday Night Live" in 1994, when Kevin stepped down from that position voluntarily, eventually leaving the show in 1995.

In early 1998, after 4 1/2 seasons, Norm Macdonald was fired from "Saturday Night Live" by then-NBC President Don Ohlmeyer after a number of jokes Norm made about O.J. Simpson on "Weekend Update." He was succeeded as "Weekend Update" anchor by Colin Quinn through the year 2000, when Colin Quinn left "Saturday Night Live" for further opportunities.

Soon after his firing, Bruce Helford created a sitcom vehicle for Norm Macdonald titled "The Norm Show," which lasted 2 seasons on ABC from March 24, 1999 - April 6, 2001, totaling 54 half-hour episodes, where Norm played a fictional Pro Hockey player sentenced to Community Service as a Social Worker after being banned from Pro Hockey for life after his conviction on criminal Tax Evasion charges (more than can be said in reality for Wesley Snipes, who in real life spent 3 years in Prison for Tax Evasion conviction).

He also appeared in a number of theatrical movies--most notably the cult hit "Dirty Work," Directed by Bob Saget, which initially flopped at the Multiplex.

Despite his private Cancer battle, Norm continued working til the end--a real trooper, just like fellow Cancer patient Alex Trebek, who in November 2020 died at age 80, 20 months after being hit with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer.

I don't know personally if Norm Macdonald was a Christian, Jewish, or of any religious organization, but regardless, Norm, I pray you're making God laugh.

10/17/1959 - 09/14/2021

[Chocolate Moose]

I've been watching you tube clips nonstop ever since. Loved Norm.

[RetroGuy2000]

Like Chocolate Moose, I've been watching a ton of NM clips on YouTube.