out of 827 entrants in the $3,000 No-Limit Texas Hold 'em event, winning $14,608. He also frequently played live cash games as well as online poker. Macdonald said in a 2018 interview that, prior to the ruling in United States v. Scheinberg, he would play up to 20 online limit hold'em games at once. "Since they went offline, it kind of saved my life. Because I was just grinding out and couldn't even sleep." Illness, death and legacy In 2013, Macdonald was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. He disclosed his diagnosis to only his family, agent, and producing partner, fearing that revealing his condition to the public would "affect the way he was perceived", according to his brother Neil. The cancer went into remission not long after, but returned in early 2020, metastasizing into myelodysplastic syndrome, a cancer that often develops into acute leukemia. In July 2021, Macdonald entered the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California, for a round of chemotherapy, where he developed an infection. He remained hospitalized at the City of Hope until his death from complications from acute leukemia on September 14, 2021. Among those who expressed their sorrow over his death via social-media channels were Jim Breuer, Conan O'Brien, Dave Chappelle, Adam Sandler, David Letterman, Jay Leno, David Spade, Sarah Silverman, Artie Lange, Seth Rogen, Bob Saget, Jim Carrey, Bill Burr, Gilbert Gottfried, David Cross and multiple other fellow comedians, as well as actor Frank Stallone (whose name Macdonald used repeatedly as a non-sequitur punchline on Weekend Update), rock band Better Than Ezra, former US Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (whom Macdonald played during his tenure at SNL) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Letterman called him "[The best] in every important way, in the world of stand-up... an opinion shared by me and all peers." According to O'Brien, "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." Both John Oliver and Lorne Michaels dedicated their victories at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards to Macdonald's memory. Season 3 of The Orville opened with an onscreen dedication to Macdonald. On July 12, 2022, Macdonald was posthumously nominated for three Primetime Emmys for his standup special Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special''. Works Comedy TV series Literature Talk shows As performer Film Television Explanatory notes References External links 1959 births 2021