Norm Macdonald once poked fun at the phrase "lost his battle with cancer" 10 years before dying of the disease. Now, following news of his death on Tuesday, the video has resurfaced online.
Comedian Tom Thakkar shared the clip on Twitter, which is from Macdonald's 2011 special "Me Doing Stand-Up." In the bit, the former "Saturday Night Live" star derides the terminology used so often when referring to deaths by cancer.
"In the old days, a man could just get sick and die. Now, they have to 'wage a battle,'" Macdonald said in the clip.
The comedian went on to joke that his uncle Burt was "'waging a courageous battle'" against cancer from his hospital bed while watching TV.
Advertisement
"In the old days, they'd go, 'Hey! That old man died. Now, they go 'Hey, he lost his battle,'" Macdonald explained. "That's no way to end your life."
"What a loser that guy was. The last thing he did was lose," he joked.
Elsewhere in the clip, Macdonald tells audience members that he's not going to have a "brave battle" when he's dying.
"When the fucking sickle of death is over my goddamn neck, I'm gonna be so cowardly ... I'm not gonna be brave," Macdonald said at the time. "I don't care how old I am, I could be 94. I'll still be like 'Oh, please take my grandson.'"
News broke Tuesday that Macdonald had died after privately struggling with cancer for nine years. The comedian was 61.
Advertisement
In a statement to Deadline, Macdonald's producing partner and friend Lori Jo Hoekstra said the "Roseanne" writer was "most proud of his comedy."
"He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him. Norm was a pure comic," Hoekstra said.
Macdonald was previously married to Connie Vaillancourt before they reportedly divorced in 1999. He is survived by their son, Dylan Macdonald.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyvu9GmZKaZk5m8r63LnWSlp6Opeqm10maZmqykobJuw8itn2abkaOwpr6Mo6aknV2ism6wzqKloGWjqa6vsIyup2ZqYGd%2BboU%3D