I hadn't heard he passed away until just now (it was reported earlier in the day). It took me by surprise to suddenly hear it briefly mentioned on the news. Apparently he has battled cancer for the better part of the last ten years.

He was part of some great casts from the 90s with Chris Farley and Adam Sandler (among many other standouts). And when SNL decided to move on from that group MacDonald hung around for a few years as part of the casts with Will Ferrell and others.

That whole group with Farley, Sandler, Spade, Chris Rock, Tim Meadows and others will always stand out and stick with me. Norm Macdonald was definitely among those members that made me laugh an awful lot as a kid (and as an adult). Even back in the 90s his jokes and the manner in which he delivered them felt like it challenged the whole "political correctness" trend. I thought it was great. I appreciated back then and still do now.

For anyone that watched SNL at that time and liked that cast of characters, I've come to learn if you hear any of them being interviewed it's usually worth a listen. It seems most of them have a story to tell about Farley that will crack you up, as well as just making me laugh at something they'll say in general related to how they all interacted together.

Rest in peace, Norm. And thanks for the laughs.