I don’t know who uses this graveyard of a site anymore (no pun intended, seriously) but Norm MacDonald died today at 61 and I feel the need to say something because anyone that knows me well knows how much I love him. It’s easy to write off celebrity obsessions, and in some cases fetishizations, as vapid and superficial hang ups about people we know nothing about.

Norm was different because he wore his heart on his sleeve, he allowed his fans to know him, and was shamelessly and unapologetically himself, which is something I strive to be on a daily basis (but hardly have the courage to accomplish). My relationship with Norm, albeit entirely and unequivocally one-sided, has been an enduring source of comfort for me. I could always turn to his comedy and feel connected because of how he viewed the world and how he made so much sense to me (despite other people sometimes not getting it or thinking it deranged/twisted).

His comedy connected strangers, it united like-minded people and it deepened existing relationships (Erin, talking to you) by supplying a goldmine of comedy that could be endlessly referenced and relied upon to make someone laugh. Norm exuded humour, and there is no one funnier than him, but he was more than just a comedian, at least to me. He was one of the most fascinating minds, a philosopher in his own right, and a sentimentalist. The world is less interesting and less funny now without him but it will always be brighter than it once was because of him.

Thank you, Norm.

Love always, always, always,

Dalia

Here’s one of my favourite Norm interviews, on Letterman: