Comedians Are Devastated by Norm Macdonald's Death

Tributes are pouring in for beloved former Saturday Night Live cast member Norm Macdonald, who died of cancer Tuesday at age 61. The AP rounds up reactions from fellow comedians, SNL, and Canada's prime minister, among others.

• Conan O'Brien: "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.”
• Adam Sandler: "Every one of us loved Norm. Some of the hardest laughs of my life with this man. Most fearless funny original guy we knew. An incredible dad. A great friend. A legend. Love u pal."

• Sarah Silverman: "Norm was in a comedy genre of his own. No one like him on this planet. Please do yourself a favor and watch his stuff. He was one of a kind of all time."
• Jim Carrey: "He was one of our most precious gems. An honest and courageous comedy genius. I love him.”
• Justin Trudeau: "The world was a much funnier place because Norm Macdonald was in it. We’ve lost a comedic genius, and a great Canadian. Sending my condolences to his loved ones and countless fans mourning his passing.”
• Jon Stewart: "No one could make you break like Norm Macdonald. Hilarious and unique."

• Bob Dole: "Norm was a great talent, and I loved laughing with him on SNL. *Bob Dole* will miss Norm Macdonald," tweeted the former senator, who Macdonald often played on Saturday Night Live.
• Bob Newhart: "He was an original. When I watched young comics on the early comedy TV shows, like The Improv or Catch a Rising Star, I’d study each comic’s style and think, oh yeah, he’s doing Leno or he’s doing Letterman or he’s doing Rickles. When Norm came on, I said he’s not doing anybody.
• Steve Martin: "We loved Norm MacDonald. One of a kind."
• Seth Rogen: "I was a huge fan of Norm Macdonald and I essentially ripped off his delivery when I first started acting, I would stay up specifically to watch him on talk shows. He was the funniest guest of all time. We lost a comedy giant today. One of the all time greats."

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• Eugene Levy: "Today the world lost a very, very funny man. We miss him already."
• Molly Shannon: "Your intelligent comedy and the way you cared so much about words and sentences and storytelling was like no one else. Just brilliant. Your writing was like poetry."
• Saturday Night Live: "Today is a sad day. All of us here at SNL mourn the loss of Norm Macdonald, one of the most impactful comedic voices of his or any other generation. There are so many things that we’ll miss about Norm—from his unflinching integrity to his generosity to his consistent ability to surprise. But most of all he was just plain funny. No one was funny like Norm."

(More Norm Macdonald stories.)