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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFifteen officially credited Saturday Night Live cast members had died as of August 12, 2026. This count includes the show’s original players, later repertory and featured performers, credited writer-performers and George Coe, who was credited for the first episode. It excludes hosts, musical guests, announcer Don Pardo and frequent guest performer Andy Kaufman.
Fifteen officially credited Saturday Night Live cast members had died as of August 12, 2026. The list includes original cast members such as John Belushi and Gilda Radner, major later performers including Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks and Norm Macdonald, and short-tenure or unusual cases such as George Coe, Peter Aykroyd and Tom Davis.
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The total depends on what “SNL cast member” means. This article uses the show’s official cast-credit framework: repertory players, featured players, short-term performers, writer-performers who received cast credit, and George Coe, who was credited for the first episode. It does not count hosts, musical guests, recurring guests, announcer Don Pardo or performers such as Andy Kaufman who appeared on the program without being official cast members.
The 15 deceased official SNL cast members
| Name | SNL tenure or credit | Date of death | Cause or circumstance |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Belushi | Original cast; seasons 1–4, 1975–1979 | March 5, 1982 | Drug overdose involving a speedball injection |
| Gilda Radner | Original cast; 1975–1980 | May 20, 1989 | Ovarian cancer |
| Danitra Vance | Featured player; season 11, 1985–1986 | August 21, 1994 | Breast cancer |
| Michael O’Donoghue | Original-season writer-performer and credited cast member | November 8, 1994 | Cerebral hemorrhage |
| Chris Farley | Cast member; 1990–1995 | December 18, 1997 | Drug overdose; cocaine and morphine were reported in the autopsy |
| Phil Hartman | Cast member; 1986–1994 | May 28, 1998 | Fatally shot by his wife, who then died by suicide |
| Charles Rocket | Cast member; 1980–1981 | October 7, 2005 | Suicide |
| Tom Davis | Original writer who also performed and received cast credit | July 19, 2012 | Throat and neck cancer |
| Jan Hooks | Repertory player; 1986–1991 | October 9, 2014 | Throat cancer |
| George Coe | Credited for the first episode, October 11, 1975 | July 18, 2015 | Public reporting described a long illness; a more specific cause is not stated here |
| Tony Rosato | Cast member; season 7, 1981–1982 | January 10, 2017 | Heart attack |
| Norm Macdonald | Cast member and Weekend Update anchor; 1993–1998 | September 14, 2021 | Acute leukemia |
| Peter Aykroyd | Writer and featured player; season 5, 1979–1980 | November 6, 2021 | Sepsis caused by an untreated abdominal hernia |
| Gilbert Gottfried | Featured player; season 6, 1980–1981 | April 12, 2022 | Recurrent ventricular tachycardia and cardiovascular disease |
| Dan Vitale | Featured player; season 11, 1985–1986 | May 6, 2022 | Public reporting identifies a heart-related death; more specific medical details are not asserted here |
The most influential losses
John Belushi
Belushi was one of the original “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” and helped establish the aggressive, high-energy comic style of the first four seasons. His best-known work included the samurai character, the forceful “Little Chocolate Donuts” commercial parody and his Blues Brothers performances with Dan Aykroyd. Belushi died at age 33 on March 5, 1982, from a drug overdose involving a speedball injection.
#1 Best Overall
Gilda Radner
Radner was another defining member of the original ensemble. Her characters included the gleefully misinformed Roseanne Roseannadanna, the correcting editorialist Emily Litella and her impression of television journalist Barbara Walters, performed as “Baba Wawa.” Radner died of ovarian cancer on May 20, 1989. Her legacy also includes the cancer-support organization Gilda’s Club, named in her honor.
Chris Farley
Farley joined the cast in 1990 and became one of the show’s most recognizable physical comedians. His recurring Matt Foley—an excessively intense motivational speaker who lived “in a van down by the river”—was among his signature creations. Farley died on December 18, 1997. The autopsy reported cocaine and morphine in connection with the fatal overdose.
Phil Hartman
Hartman spent eight seasons on SNL, from 1986 through 1994, and was valued for his range, precision and ability to support almost any sketch. His impressions included President Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Frank Sinatra, while his original characters included Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer. Hartman was fatally shot by his wife on May 28, 1998; she then died by suicide.
Rank #2
Jan Hooks
Hooks was a repertory player from 1986 to 1991 whose work combined sharp impressions with detailed character acting. Her SNL performances included impressions of Hillary Clinton and Bette Davis, as well as the Sweeney Sisters musical sketches with Nora Dunn. Hooks died of throat cancer on October 9, 2014.
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Macdonald joined SNL in 1993 and anchored Weekend Update for approximately three and a half seasons. His deliberately dry delivery and willingness to pursue uncomfortable jokes made his version of the segment distinctive. He remained associated with the show after leaving the cast, including through later hosting and guest appearances. Macdonald died of acute leukemia on September 14, 2021.
Short-tenure and unusual official credits
Not every person in the count was a long-running repertory player. That is why broader lists can look different from this one.
- George Coe was credited as part of the cast for the first episode, which aired on October 11, 1975. His unusually brief credit still places him inside the official-cast definition used here. Public accounts described a long illness before his death, but a more specific cause should not be presented without stronger documentation.
- Michael O’Donoghue was an original head writer and writer-performer who was also credited as cast. He has the distinction of being the first performer to speak a line on SNL.
- Tom Davis is another writer-performer whose official cast credit matters. He frequently appeared with his writing partner Al Franken, even though he is not usually remembered as a conventional long-term cast player.
- Peter Aykroyd, the younger brother of Dan Aykroyd, worked as both a writer and featured player during the 1979–1980 season. He died from sepsis caused by an untreated abdominal hernia.
- Danitra Vance had one season on the show, in 1985–1986. She was the first Black woman in SNL’s primary cast and died of breast cancer in 1994.
- Tony Rosato appeared during season seven, later becoming known to many viewers for his work on SCTV. He died of a heart attack in 2017.
- Charles Rocket served for one season, 1980–1981. He was dismissed after saying an obscenity during a Weekend Update segment and died by suicide in 2005.
- Gilbert Gottfried had a short, 12-episode featured-player tenure during the 1980–1981 season. He later became widely known for stand-up comedy and voice acting. He died in 2022 from recurrent ventricular tachycardia and cardiovascular disease.
- Dan Vitale was a featured player during season 11. His death is sometimes incorrectly listed as occurring in 2023; the better-supported date is May 6, 2022. Public reporting identifies a heart-related death, but more specific medical claims should be treated cautiously.
Why some lists give a higher number
“SNL performers” is a broader category than official cast members. Lists that report 17 or more deaths may include people who were important to the program but never received official cast credit.
- Andy Kaufman appeared frequently as a guest performer, but he was not an official cast member.
- Don Pardo was the show’s iconic announcer, not a credited sketch performer or cast member.
- Barry Blaustein, who died in 2026, was an SNL writer and producer rather than an official cast member.
These people belong in the wider history of Saturday Night Live, but adding them to a cast-member count changes the definition rather than correcting the total. The same issue applies to hosts, musical guests and recurring guests who never appeared in the official cast credits.
There is no factual basis for an “SNL curse”
The deaths of so many well-known comedians can invite “SNL curse” headlines, but that is a media superstition, not a demonstrated explanation. The 15 deaths in this official-cast list span more than five decades and involve very different circumstances: cancer, cardiovascular illness, overdose, suicide, homicide and other medical causes. A shared television affiliation does not establish a common cause.
Rank #4
Further reading
For readers who want the larger story behind the performers, writers and production history, Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests is a comprehensive history of the program. It is an oral history of SNL rather than a definitive biography of every deceased cast member, but it provides useful context for how the show’s ensembles and creative eras developed.
Verification note: This list follows the official-cast framework and is current through August 12, 2026. Because cast-credit classifications and reported causes can differ in secondary retrospectives, unusual cases and uncertain medical details are identified rather than overstated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fifteen official Saturday Night Live cast members had died as of August 12, 2026, using the show’s official cast-credit definition.
How many official Saturday Night Live cast members have died?
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No. Andy Kaufman appeared frequently as a guest performer but was not an official Saturday Night Live cast member.
Was Andy Kaufman an SNL cast member?
No. Don Pardo was Saturday Night Live’s announcer, not an official credited cast performer.
Is Don Pardo counted as a deceased SNL cast member?
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Those lists generally use “SNL performers” broadly and include writers, producers, announcers or guest performers who were not official cast members.
Why do some lists say more than 15 SNL performers have died?
The Bottom Line
The official count is 15 deceased Saturday Night Live cast members as of August 12, 2026. The number excludes notable non-cast figures such as Andy Kaufman, Don Pardo and Barry Blaustein, while including credited writer-performers and George Coe’s first-episode cast credit.
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