Canadian-born comedian Norm Macdonald, best known for his tenure on Saturday Night Live has died from cancer, diagnosis he kept private for nine years.

He was 61.

Macdonald was known for his wry, deadpan delivery in the anchor chair of S-N-L’s Weekend Update in the mid-’90s.  He was hired to write for Roseanne Barr’s sitcom Roseanne for the 1992-93 season before landing the coveted gig at NBC’s Saturday Night Live.

The Quebec City-raised standup comedian went on to amass a devoted following among comedy fans.

His long time producing partner and friend Lori Jo Hoekstra, said MacDonald never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him.

Macdonald was scheduled to be in the New York Comedy Festival lineup in November.