Norm Macdonald died from complications of acute leukemia, a form of blood cancer, on September 14, 2021, at the age of 61.

Quick Scoop: How did Norm Macdonald die?

Norm Macdonald, the Canadian-born comedian best known for anchoring “Weekend Update” on Saturday Night Live , passed away on September 14, 2021, in Los Angeles. He had been privately battling cancer for about nine years and chose not to disclose his illness publicly, even to many friends and colleagues.

Cause of death

  • Norm Macdonald’s official cause of death was leukemia, specifically described as acute leukemia.
  • He was 61 years old when he died.
  • His illness was long-term: reports describe a roughly nine-year battle with cancer before his death.

His brother Neil Macdonald stated that Norm had leukemia and deliberately kept the diagnosis private so it wouldn’t overshadow his comedy or change how people saw him. Medical reporting later clarified that his condition had progressed to acute myeloid leukemia, and he died from complications related to this acute leukemia.

Why was his illness a surprise?

  • Norm never publicly announced he had cancer.
  • Even many close friends and collaborators reportedly did not know he was sick.
  • His management and producing partner confirmed only after his death that he had been fighting cancer for nearly a decade.

This secrecy is why his death felt sudden to fans and the comedy community, even though his illness had been ongoing for years.

Timeline in simple terms

  1. Diagnosed with leukemia “a long time ago,” according to his brother, and lived with the disease privately for years.
  1. Underwent treatments including chemotherapy and stem cell transplants as the cancer evolved into an acute form.
  1. In 2021, he was hospitalized in California, where he developed complications from acute leukemia and remained there until his death on September 14, 2021.

Bottom line: Norm Macdonald died from complications of acute leukemia after a long, deliberately private battle with cancer, which is why the news felt so shocking when it became public.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.