Stand-up comedian and actor Louie Anderson died Friday of complications from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He was 68.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is cancer of the white blood cells of the lymphatic system, which is part of the body’s immune system.
Anderson was receiving cancer treatment in a Las Vegas hospital when he died.
Born in Minnesota, Anderson was named one of “100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time” by Comedy Central in 2004.
Among his many TV and film credits include Saturday morning cartoon Life With Louie, in which he played his 8-year-old self, and the comedy classic Coming to America (1998). He also starred in the sequel, Coming 2 America (2021), his final film role.
In Coming to America, Louie tells Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall‘s characters, “You know, I started on clean-up just like you guys. But now, see I’m washing lettuce. Soon I’ll be on fries, then the grill. In a year or two, I make assistant manager, and that’s when the big bucks start rolling in.”
In addition to acting and stand-up comedy, Anderson was the host of the third revival of Family Feud from 1999 to 2002 and he earned an Emmy Award for his performance on the FX comedy television series Baskets. He also authored 4 books.
Longtime friend and comedian Pauly Shore tweeted that he visited Anderson in the hospital Thursday evening.
When a fan responded to Shore’s tweet asking him to let Anderson know how much “we love him,” Shore responded, “I did.”
