Comedian and Saturday Night Live alum Norm Macdonald has been reported dead at 61 after a private nine-year battle with cancer.

Deadline confirmed on Tuesday via Macdonalds management firm Brillstein Entertainment that he had died.

He 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, Macdonalds longtime producing partner and friend Lori Jo Hoekstra told the publication. Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander. He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.