The Devastating Death Of Peter Aykroyd
The world has lost another comedy legend. As reported by Variety, former "Saturday Night Live" cast member and writer Peter Aykroyd has died at the age of 66. A cause of death has not been released. The news was announced on Saturday's episode of "Saturday Night Live," hosted by Simu Liu. The show paid tribute to Aykroyd by airing one of his beloved sketches, the comedy short film "The Java Junkie."
Born November 19, 1955, and raised in Ottawa, Canada with his brother, fellow comedian and "SNL" alum Dan Aykroyd, the comedian got his start with the famed Second City comedy troupe in Toronto. Aykroyd was a writer and performer on "SNL" for the show's 1979-1980 season and earned a shared Emmy nomination for his writing talents.
Aykroyd's fellow former "SNL" writer Alan Zweibel took to Twitter to share his tribute to his old colleague, calling him "a very funny, really nice guy." Additionally, Laraine Newman, another original cast member on "SNL," shared her memories of the late comic on Twitter. She wrote, "So sad to hear that Peter Aykroyd passed away. Gilda Radner took me to see him at Second City in Toronto, and I was dazzled. What a brilliant improviser."
Peter Akyroyd was an accomplished comedic talent
Peter Aykroyd's comedic talents expanded outside the walls of "Saturday Night Live," as detailed by Variety. The comic frequently collaborated with his brother Dan, including starring in popular comedy films "Coneheads" and "Spies Like Us." Per Aykroyd's IMDb profile, he and Dan co-wrote the 1991 black comedy "Nothing But Trouble," Dan's feature-length directorial debut. Aykroyd and actor Jim Belushi both took on the roles of their respective brothers, Dan and John, in "The Blues Brothers Animated Series" (via IMDb).
Though Aykroyd did not work with his brother on the iconic "Ghostbusters" franchise, he did pursue his family's love for the supernatural in the late 1990s. The "SNL" alum co-created Canadian sci-fi program "PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal." The series ran for four seasons and featured paranormal expert Christopher Chacon. Once again, Aykroyd and his brother teamed up on this project, with Dan serving as the show's host.
Aykroyd's keen talents certainly made an impact on the world of comedy, and he will be missed.