He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him.

Norm was a pure comic.

He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’

Norm Macdonald posing

He certainly never pandered.

Norm will be missed terribly."

He was born to two teachers; his father was a World War II vet.

Norm Macdonald smiling

Here, nothing was off limits, as the comedian poked fun at celebrities across the country.