Louie Anderson, legendary stand-up comedian and Emmy-winning actor, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 68.
Deadline reports Anderson passed away Friday morning at a Las Vegas hospital where he had been getting treatment for diffuse large B cell lymphoma, according to the comedian’s publicist Glenn Schwartz.
The news arrives just several hours after fellow comedian Pauly Shore took to Twitter to provide an update on Anderson’s declining health. “Attention comedians and @TheComedyStore alumni’s I say this with a heavy heart just left the hospital in Las Vegas where Louie Anderson his sisters and close friend were kind enough to let me say my goodbyes he’s still with us but keep him in your prayers,” Shore wrote.
Anderson’s comedic debut came in 1984 when he did his first televised standup routine on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. From there, the St. Paul, Minnesota native secured small roles in a string of 1980s films such as 1986’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and 1988’s Coming to America.
In the 1990s, Anderson created the Fox animated series Life With Louie, which ran for three seasons and earned him two consecutive Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program. From 1999 to 2002, he served as the host of the iconic game show Family Feud.
Most recently, Anderson co-starred opposite Zach Galifianakis in the FX comedy Baskets, a role which earned him the 2016 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, as well as the 2016 Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.
