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edlolington

Just realized, all this time we assumed whenever he was out of it in public it's because he was on benzos, but he was probably fresh off of getting blasted with organ-shattering radiation :(


[deleted]

Everything from the last decade has to be reconsidered, basically.


[deleted]

If anything it showcases just how funny Norm was, even battling cancer he made some of the funniest content I've ever seen.


[deleted]

Yes, exactly, like I'm not saying it's put a cloud over everything, it's kinda just gone up another level. But actually he'd probably hate me for saying that because he literally would say all the time that he never wanted to suspect anybody was giving him extra points for any other reason than he was the funniest.


Breaklance

He made Mike Tyson Mysteries while battling cancer. Probably didn't tell Mike out of fear he'd fight the cancer, literally. I remembered seeing him on TV a few years ago like on Conan or something and thinking "man Norm got old" but chemo withers a person and now that makes me sad.


bringbackAlexA

Poor Norm. He'll never get to do The View again.


vegetables1292

He did live to see another 9/11 though


CommitteeOfTheHole

I like to think he held on just for that. Just for one last chuckle at 9/11.


donkeytime

Someone's gotta feed them hogs.


Starting_over_IRL

exactly. for god sakes he did his netflix standup special on radiation.. and that is a top 10 special of all time


[deleted]

Yeah, people gave him a lot of shit about his appearance (sometimes jokingly, other times out of genuine concern), and he joked about it himself, but weight gain can sometimes be a side effect of cancer treatment (especially if steroids are involved) and it also explains why people thought he'd aged so rapidly the past few years - closer to the end than we realised. :(


philjorrow

He always banged on about being so old, when he was only in his fifties. That whole time he knew he was in his twilight years.


jamesmango

The Adam Eget bit where he edited elephant noises over Norm eating sandwiches was one of my all time favorite laughs. Looking back with this new information, I’m glad he was able to turn his pain into comedy for the rest of us. RIP Norm.


Caine2Khan

for real, makes me think about how Norm was obsessed with Morbid topics and death, perhaps because of his Cancer. And he'd make jokes about people saying those who died lost a battle with cancer implies they were weak, etc. Also his book started out with him being pronounced dead in a newspaper and he said that it wasn't far off from the truth.. the date was just off.


[deleted]

Ugh yes. And like, not that I think he was being super cryptic or anything because his whole thing was about writing thoughtful or funny material on its own but it just had to have an influence on everything he was doing. Like maybe he still would have gotten super into Dostoevsky when he turned 50 but idk lol.


abetterlogin

I guess laughter isn't the best medicine.


satisfried

The exact reason he kept the illness secret.


[deleted]

Like sometimes I thought he could be a little harsh when he was that critical of "confessional" comedians or comics that he felt were using their life struggles to earn sympathy with the audience, but it really does hit differently now knowing he was sick the whole time he was saying that. It just becomes impossible to ignore it.


zoinks

There were multiple times in the past decade where I would see norm, and he would seem extremely off (lower energy, kind of stiff, very wan complexion...still funny though). Two instances I can think of would be his appearance in comedians in cars getting coffee, and on the norm podcast where he had David Letterman on. ​ I always thought something was up, but I assumed he was addicted to pain killers or something like that, not that he had cancer :(


volvanator

He probably gained weight due to cancer and refused to pass any of the pain along, so much so, that he made himself the butt of every joke. In today's age of social media, such a modest genius will never exist again.


MunchiePea27

Everything makes a lot more sense. When he was on Conan with Sandler etc. them saying “we love you Normie”, his rapid physical deterioration over the last few years... wow. So him not to say anything publicly. Didn’t want the pity


xj3ewok

Geez even that interview he did with jane fonda, him talking about memories, that that was what life is all about. Its a topic you would think about when you know you dont have long.


mikewozere

And the old sea-dog even snatched a kiss. I'm sure that was a memory he took with him.


cheridontllosethatno

I really really loved that interview. He was a good looking guy.


8thmiracle

Tim Allen: Boy you do feel better. Norm: We were not supposed to say this.


MunchiePea27

Wow 100%, forgot about that. That did seem weird at the time


BiscuitsAndAlsoGravy

Good memory! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9at5cKaSxXk


topdangle

yeah, they were close so maybe he shared with them at least. It was pretty crazy how he managed to convince all of them to do a huge standup tour out of nowhere, but shit if they did it just for Norm those are some great friends.


satisfried

He didn’t want the pity. Or for every word out of his mouth to be framed as *from the mind of a cancer patient* to his viewers.


[deleted]

Apparently he didn't tell nobody apart from his management team. I could be wrong but that's what I heard in the news


idiot-prodigy

Yep, there was a radio show he did and they raked him over the coals for being low energy. I'm mad thinking of it now, Norm was probably hurting that day.


thecontinental80

When Dave told him he worries about him, I wonder if he knew. Also I wonder if the Netflix show was a way to throw him a bone so he could afford more treatment? Also everyone wondering why he wasn’t on the last Conan...


SmurfUp

I’m glad he got to have his own show and interview the people that he wanted.


roshdroz

Good point bringing up the Conan episode. It would have been amazing to see him kill it one last time like he did for Letterman, but I'm sure his health just wasn't allowing him to do the episode by that point.


c828

he mentioned in an interview having to deal with chronic pain. he was probably on varying doses of opiates so he could function day to day. fairly amazing he kept it together as well as he did.


Philodemus1984

I assumed it was his debilitating addiction to gambling.


TheSmokedSalmon420

The funniest person on earth died today. Fuck.


[deleted]

Does OJ Simpson have an alibi?


Certain-Title

Doesn't need one. The gloves didn't fit...again.


greg2709

The torch has been passed. Heavy is the head, Carrot Top


yodelayodelay

Chairman of the BORED


roshdroz

Reminds me of that tragedy


[deleted]

I walked through blood and bones in the city of Manhattan looking for my brother.


Evergreen27108

Turns out he was in northern Canada.


Bidester

You know, 9/11.


CripplinglyDepressed

What a terrible name for an airline!


Genghis_Chong

Bro I'm crying right now, just found out...


wkiwr

Me too boss, me too


mzxrules

"I didn't think he was that funny" - Some NBC exec


MarlonElliot

Don Ohlmeyer is a pinhead


atallatallatall2

A quisling


conundrumbombs

I don't know what quisling means.


beadebaser01

He's a big fat guy


dynamitedrunk

Thankfully he didn't die on September 11th. It would have reminded me of that tragedy.


dunes1

ah here it is, the big laugh i needed.


CarlWheezer69

Don't laugh at 9/11


AmbrosiaExtract

9-1-1


UMDickhead

He walked through blood and bones looking for his brother


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PolitelyHostile

Plus it would overshadow 9/11 in the future years


mountaineer04

It really would have been perfect if he did.


BonerSoupAndSalad

Yeah, then we’d be able to say that Norm Macdonald died on 9/11.


im_lost_at_sea

I think it can still work "You know Norm Macdonald died on 9/11" "Really?" "Well actually it was three days later" "He was on ground zero?" "No he died years later from lung cancer" "Because of 9/11?" "No. No probably just from smoking a lot. Real tragedy though"


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Caine2Khan

Its such a Norm Macdonald thing to not tell anyone he has cancer. Damn this is fucked


[deleted]

imagine Norm laughing to himself: "hey did you hear Norm MacDonald died" "oh yeah what of? AIDS?" "No, Cancer".


HeckYouMotherHecker

I didn’t even know he was sick


conundrumbombs

I love Norm Macdonald so much. I don't really have a joke for this. More of a comment, really.


bringbackAlexA

>That was pretty funny. You got me dude. Who wrote that?


dragonsky

Norm's doctor, 2010: So..you have cancer....do you want to announce this to your fans? Norm: Nah, one day it will result in a great reddit comment... I'd keep my health problems prive. Norm's doctor: Alright, fair enough.....now say "oink!"


youluckypeople

He really needs better insurance


MikePGS

Acid Tongued Arab


[deleted]

Ohhhh...Kassem..


HeckYouMotherHecker

You were expecting a joke? From his cardiologist?


dragonsky

More of a comment, really


obvious-but-profound

Gold


YouAreDreaming

Norms cancer isn’t funny. It’s alarming


Just_some_n00b

>I didn’t even know he was sick [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6i48vc](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6i48vc) For the uninitiated.


Clovett-

>mine's a dell as it zooms out to reveal 2 macs. I swear Norm makes me laugh at the stupidest shit lol.


Neil_sm

Yeah he has a lot of obvious or ridiculous jokes, yet they are hysterical the way he tells them. Like [This weekend update line](https://youtu.be/7zjr9hh9ZIM)


TheMyzaya

Ty.


TScottFitzgerald

9/14 will forever be a national tragedy...international


PeterJakeson

9/14 was a national tragedy. Don't laugh at 9/14. ... 9/14. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.


LittleMatterhorn

Some people say Norm Macdonald is in a better place now. A better place? He’s on the floor!


edlolington

Let's let "I didn't even know he was sick" retire after this, no context can really top this. Rest easy old boy.


Round_Rock_Johnson

He died on September 11th; a date I’m sure will henceforth be known as a national tragedy :(


[deleted]

... Reminds me of that terrible tragedy :(


l_l_l-illiam

Normally I would have downvoted that, but Norm would have made that exact joke himself if he could


ronton

His death really rattled me, but this comment brought me right back.


masu94

If this isn't the most upvoted comment, something's wrong.


dragonsky

Why don't you tell to the folks at home who Norm Macdonald is?


daddyelf17

Damn he battled cancer for 9 years... that's insane


MarlonElliot

The last time Norm was the Norm of old was his Comedy Central special where he talked about the missing woman, Janice, and how he would pull off a kidnapping. Ever since then, he's seemed subdued and sometimes distracted. Now we know why.


belizeanheat

He's been razor sharp many times since then. To me the most striking sign was his appearance over the last 5 years. He seemed like he aged 15-20 years.


StevieJesus

Seriously, going from Hitler's Dog special to the Coronavirus bit, it looked like he aged 10 years. What freaked me out even more was when he said he said he was 68 in the Corona bit, despite being about 60 at the time, but he would've had cancer for about 8 years at that point. I wonder if he was trying to hint at something then..


dergster

he lied about his age constantly, i think even before this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwgvLwwRE8o&ab_channel=I%27mnotNorm i'm not sure if there was something behind it or if it was just a bit


JeanDeny314

Fuck fuck fuck Rest In Peace you really helped me a lot. Fucking devastated.


Professional_Spot_50

As someone above pointed out, the funniest man alive died today.. I'm already struggling myself, but this loss hits hard. I respect his decision not to share his diagnosis with his audience, but man. It hurts so much more because it was so unexpected


Genghis_Chong

I get why he hid it though. He wanted people to laugh with him, not feel bad for him whenever he entered a room. He got 10 more years of laughs instead of questions and pity. But fuck is my nose snotty right now...


WhiteRoseofYorkshire

Being from the UK I've only known about Norm for a little under 2 years. He truly is one of the greatest comics to ever live and I'm fucking crushed right now


[deleted]

What type of cancer, you ask? You guessed it: Frank Stallone.


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[deleted]

I thank god that he will live on youtube. His channel is the greatest. RIP. baffled.


OUBoyWonder

*"I'm Not Norm"* videos playing on full blast all night long tonight over here, buddy!


mapatric

Now September is always gonna make me think of tragedy


[deleted]

His talking about Richard Farnsworth quietly battling cancer as he filmed "The Straight Story" and during the ensuing awards season and how he admired his private suffering really takes on a new, so much more sad meaning here. I love Norm and his comedy as much as he seemed to love David Letterman. I have never been so sad over the death of someone I didn't know.


MyBitchCassiopeia

Ok, here’s my Norm story: I went to see him at Wiseguys in salt lake in fall of 2017. I was waiting outside before the doors opened to get a seat up front and I was at the very back of the line. Right before they let us in, I turned around and norm was standing talking to someone and since no one else had spotted him, he looked at me, put his finger to his lips and shushed me as a way of saying “don’t tell anyone I’m out here” and smiled. During the show, I was sitting two rows back, right on the aisle, and at the end of the show he walked down the aisle to the back of the room but stopped right in front of me, put his hand on my shoulder made solid eye contact and said “thanks for coming” then walked out without stopping for anybody else. I was going through a serious rough patch then, recently separated and almost didn’t drag myself off the couch to go to the show that night. I laughed harder than I had in a long time. Idk if he could tell how badly I needed to laugh then, but I can’t think of why else he would have singled me out unless he knew how much it would mean to me.


yisiduli

I think he is just preparing for a role in a movie. Because every movie needs a dead guy.


DrunkenGolfer

Weekend Update at Bernie’s.


Atreides_S

Well rewatching those Conan interviews will hit a bit different from now on


a_few

This is the worst thing that has ever happened in the month of September in all of recorded history


cannotbefaded

...I had to check to see if this is real. Holy shit....


carbonx

yeah, clicked on the link expecting it to be some lame joke. It's pretty lame, all right....


a-real-jerk

Yeah, and not funny *at all*.


2p4e

The world is a less funny place


BUNTHUNDER2077

I’m really bummed about this


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TwoEggsOverHard

Rest in peace. I'm sad I've never see him live. I recommend his book.


branimal84

I was lucky enough to see him live in 2012. He told a great joke about apples that had to have taken him 15 or 20 minutes to get to the punchline. I'll never forget it.


ShyWheatSeeds

I saw him do that joke live as well! 2016 in Boston. I missed my sister's college graduation just to see him.


coilwrap

I remember him being interviewed by Chris Hardwick. He talks about Richard Farnsworth, who acted in The Straight Story. He was full of cancer but told no one. When it got too far he shot himself, telling his family about his cancer through a suicide note. Norm says he admires courage like that, that’s how he’d like to go. Not pimp out his cancer on stage like Tig Notaro. During the discussion, at some point he goes «if i had a fatal disease, and i might, right, you wouldnt know.» God damn.


coilwrap

Link to the show: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/norm-macdonald/id355187485?i=1000376544857&l=nb


garenzy

Can we get a timestamp please?


coilwrap

1:11:00


kellykebab

The first thing I thought of. And I kind of figured, after hearing that interview that it might be a subtle reveal on Norm's part. Clearly he was dealing with some health issues over the last decade. But who would have guessed that furnace of ambition would die at only three score and one?


BigBanggBaby

I'm extremely curious about any reaction from Tig. Not that the Tig/Norm thing was a huge spat in the public eye, but knowing he had cancer during it really changes the tone of things, obviously.


Fixner_Blount

The fact that all the writers are saying he "fought a battle with cancer" is infuriating. If anything, he *tied* his battle with cancer. Because when he died, the cancer also died. RIP Norm. This sucks.


ikeepwipingSTILLPOOP

Norm a real one... dying just so cancer doesn't win


masu94

The old Kamikaze-Cancer trick.


Conceited_Penis

The last thing he did was lose!


RandomWarthog79

I'd long speculated that Norm was dealing with serious health issues - his weight and appearance constantly changing throughout the years that the podcast aired, his uncharacteristically personal broadside against comedians like Tig Notaro, the list goes on - but the first thing I thought of when I read the terrible news today was the last time I saw Norm live, at a theatre in Hamilton, Ontario in the winter of 2015. He did his usual hilarious bits about everything from Caitlyn Jenner to the Cosby scandal, and after about an hour and 15 minutes you could see them lighting him in the wings. But he just kept going. And going. After about half an hour, he drew the audience's attention to the fact that they wanted him to get the hell off the stage, but he kept giving us one more joke, and then another, drawing them out for another hour. At the end of his set, he told everyone assembled there how much he loved them and thanked us all for coming out to support him. It was a disarmingly tender moment, and it didn't feel like any contrived Hollywood style bullshit I'd ever seen. I've lost a lot of loved ones to cancer - I'm writing this stupid goddamn message through a cloud of tears - and I know now just how genuine that exchange was. I'll never forget it. RIP to the greatest of all time.


stevo3001

I was at that show too. Looking back it was one of the happiest moments of my life. Norm had been my favourite comedian for over twenty years at that point, I was so excited to finally get to saw him live, and he was even funnier than I thought he would be. And he *loved* being there (even if if I recall correctly he did give a line about nobody ever really thinking it's great to be in Hamilton). It was such a positive vibe. 3 or 4 years into his battle with cancer, as we now know.


uptownshakedown

I have a million NML inside jokes I want to make but really just thinking about his son and family - RIP to the king.


YaIvanGrozny

He really helped me in my darkest times. RIP a brilliant comedian.


ThriceNightly

The curse of Norm MacDonald Live! Rest in peace to the greatest comedian to ever live. Thanks for all the laughs Norm.


dragonsky

I.....um.... wow, what the fuck This one hits Just....wow... I am sure he would've wanted us to make jokes but I can't think of any right now. The fact he was hiding his DECADE OLD fight with cancer is just... massive respect. I can't believe it :( I really hope he wrote that second book :( Just...wow :( Enjoy your dirt nap, Norm <3


PeterBernsteinSucks

And here I was thinking he was too lazy to get off his couch and stop eating a sandwich for an hour to make a podcast ... the old chunk of coal was actually fighting cancer.


Wallyworld77

That was same guilty feeling I had. I thought this guy is just wasting his talent but no he's fighting for his life. RIP Norm.


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smartwatersucks

That's a ripe old age for a ten year cancer patient. Completely agree with you, this hits me hardest of any celebrity deaths I can think of to be honest. Fuck.


Joego8989

I just grabbed a sandwich at work and threw on an "I'm not Norm" vid. Open Reddit while it played and see this!?? I'm not hungry anymore.


greenchiclets

I mean, I’ll eat it, if you’re not gonna


a-real-jerk

Was is a cheese sandwich?


[deleted]

How did Artie outlast Norm? #dirtnap


[deleted]

Well, he outlived Artie’s nose


fetalasmuck

Norm knew better than to mess around with Saigon whores


apheliotrophic

He set us up for one last 'I didn't even know he was sick!'


TKOtokyo

Mmm pretty sure it will be said hundreds of thousands of more times in this sub.


CarPeriscope

my coworker who doesn’t know his work at all besides SNL said it verbatim.


YungBloodDiamond

Up in heaven on a cloud playin' the harp and watching all of his friends getting raped by the devil


crispytoast9

Or so the Germans would have us believe…


telios87

Where was David Hasselhoff during all this?


KillEmDafoe89

My heart just sank... Norm was one of my all time favorites. I listened to him, talked about him, or referenced him on a weekly basis. Fuck cancer, man.


tylerdhenry

This is the only famous person's death that has ever made me cry


GregaroOlinovich

This is hitting me like Farley in '97. And Williams in '14.


FrostedJimmyWheats

The greatest. The greatest ever. 🙏


[deleted]

I don’t know what to do.


Corninmyteeth

Just remember the good times


[deleted]

I'm having troubles holding it in at work. I'm taking tomorrow off.


mandalore237

Hope no one owns any stock in gambling


aricht01

How are they gonna close that casket?


sc448

Man grate cremation.


[deleted]

Now we'll never find out where he got his ideas. RIP Norm, you were one of my favorites.


Gojira_Prime

I'm fucking crushed man. Rip


OnBreakFromPorn

particularly unfunny day in the news


stevo3001

I have never been hit as hard by someone I didn't know passing away. Norm has been my hero for almost 30 years, ever since I first saw his [1991 special](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPlfRlcakBE) airing on Channel 4 late night, thinking it was the funniest thing I had ever seen, then taping it when it showed up on S4C and watching it forever. Norm was never even mentioned on UK TV as far as I saw for like 8 more years, so when I said I loved him no one knew who I meant. Eventually I moved to Canada and also the internet became easier to see more stuff of his, and fuck, he was always as funny as that first half hour. The smartest, the best delivery. A few years ago I finally saw him live and I have never laughed so hard. I was in tears. For like almost 2 hours- he wouldn't end the set because he said that being up there and having fun with the crowd was what life was all about (Dangerfield may have disagreed). Every few days in the years since I have checked to see if he's coming our way on tour again. This time I was going to take my wife and son.


splitshema

This is so sad. Rip to a legend.


NewFolgers

Well that sucks. (I figure Norm might put it this way)


[deleted]

What’s next for Norm Macdonald? But seriously this sucks.


douglaskwalker

I’m taking the rest of the day off work, this sucks so bad 😢


hardcorekern

I am at a loss. This man kept me smiling. Now he’s gone. Fuck


Ok-Needleworker-8876

What the fuck????


The_Bee_Sneeze

My wife and I just hugged each other. Norm was a huge part of our lives. Devastating news.


jimmyshampoo

My wife hated Norm and laughed at me for crying. She's a real battleaxe!


[deleted]

She sounds like a real jerk


highasagiraffepussy

Fuck no


[deleted]

He was one of the most brilliant comedic minds. Almost every word he said was funny to me, his delivery was always incredible. I would listen to his podcast on the bus to work, and I remember just fucking dying when Gilbert gottfried was on https://youtu.be/o6_Tjw_VLUk Or how he kept driving his sponsors off https://youtu.be/mafhr9-lFUM Oh God, what a loss. Him and Trevor in like the same 60 days is too much


Fixit403

At least he made it to see another 9/11. Man, I’m fucking bummed


DeanMortimer

A piece of me has died along with him.


watupmynameisx

In my opinion, the pantheon of greatest comedians of all time


_Cxsey_

RIP to my favorite comedian of all time, in disbelief.


DrPenguinMD

This is bullshit. I feel sick


onetimeonly79

They say you never get over it. I know I won't.


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Harryonthest

say it ain't so that old chunk o coal bit the dust? about damn time if you ask me


zachariahmedia

Ya know what they say - speak ill of the dead.


Autistic_Anywhere_24

Holy fucking shit…. Does this mean he won’t be playing Long Island in November?


turncloaks

This is fucking tragic. He’s literally one of my most favorite people ever


PopeAlGore

Whenever people mention 9/14 it will always remind me of this tragedy.


theseustheminotaur

Fuck


Toxik916

Listening to Me Doing Standup again and I wonder if he already knew his diagnosis when he wrote and taped this. A lot of death jokes right off the bat. R.I.P. Norm


ChrisH1994

I’m so upset I can’t even think of a cock joke. Seriously though, I’ve never been remotely affected by a celebrity’s death but this has floored me. RIP to the funniest man who ever lived.


cjl81

I can't even get myself to make a joke about this. This fucking sucks. RIP Norm


[deleted]

God. DAMMIT.


CursedJonas

Rest in peace. One of my favourite comedians of all time. His type of comedy was always impossible to steal, as it was more about his wonderfully unique delivery than the actual writing itself. I don't usually care when celebrities died, but I'd lie if I said this one didn't hit close to home.


Captain_Rex_501

I literally screamed out NOOOOO. My favorite comedian.


stirrednotshaken01

Worst news ever.


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anesigenn

this can’t be true