'Saturday Night Live' Star Jan Hooks Dead at 57

[Hissyspit]

Source: Huffington Post

@BreakingNews: 'Saturday Night Live' star Jan Hooks dies at age 57 - @HuffingtonPost http://t.co/d16OZc11oV/s/L7Zg

'SNL' Star Jan Hooks Dead At 57

Jessica Goodman The Huffington Post 10/09/14 05:58 PM ET

Former "Saturday Night Live" star Jan Hooks died on Thursday. Her representative confirmed the news to HuffPost Entertainment, but had no further comment on Hooks' death. She was 57 years old.

Hooks appeared on "SNL" from 1986-91 and most recently appeared on "30 Rock" as Jenna Maroney's mother, Verna. She was also a regular on "Designing Women." While on "SNL," she was known for her recurring character Candy Sweeney of "The Sweeney Sisters," and impersonated Bette Davis, Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Sinéad O'Connor, Jodie Foster and Hillary Clinton.

Read more: http://t.co/d16OZc11oV/s/L7Zg

[hlthe2b]

1. Oh my.. how sad

I remember her from Designing Women...

RIP, Ms. Hook. You were far too young to lose.

On edit, I just saw this recent (?) photo of her online. How vibrant she looked.

[Aerows]

6. She was AWESOME

on Designing women.

[BuelahWitch]

16. That's where I saw her first

She was an excellent replacement for Jean Smart and fit right in.

[Aerows]

40. I loved her

she rocked that role.

[Rowdyboy]

38. Her Carlene Dobber was a perfect younger sister for Jean Smart's Charlene....

Her character fit in beautifully.

[Aerows]

42. It was strong

She was a good performer
Bless her and her family

[msanthrope]

2. She was really funny...she did that lounge act with Nora Dunn. nt

[calimary]

3. Oh gosh! What a shame! Liked her.

Sad to see this.

Rest in peace. Robin Williams will probably be at the front door to let you in.

[Ampersand Unicode]

15. Joan Rivers will welcome her in for coffee, and Don Pardo will announce her entrance.

So many people from this show are now gone.

John Belushi 1949-1982
Gilda Radner 1946-1989
Danitra Vance 1954-1994
Michael O'Donoghue 1940-1994
Chris Farley 1964-1997
Phil Hartman 1948-1998
Charles Rocket 1949-2005
Tom Davis 1952-2012
Don Pardo 1918-2014
Jan Hooks 1957-2014

[7962]

23. Wow, what a list!

[calimary]

24. Welcome to DU, Ampersand Unicode.

Glad you're here. Even in a sad thread. One thing that DU does magnificently - as an online community and never mind the politics - is gather together to help someone through a crisis. Like a passing. Even if it's just here on the internets. Even if it's under the cover of anonymity. Even if it's people you've never met and are probably never going to meet. Even if it's people you might spar with on various issues where you disagree. But all those pairs of shoulders come together and buoy up the person in crisis. Sometimes it's just some famous person we all mourn together in general, or someone's individual personal loss. No one here mourns alone. People come together here and join the wake or sit shiva or keep vigil or whatever terminology fits. Sometimes posts appear - that present a different perspective, or way of coping, or way to beat whatever it is, or way to get through it. Sometimes there is concrete, actionable advice offered from reliable and credible sources. That's when DU is at its best. You're part of something really extraordinary here!

[nolabear]

26. Your list is longer than mine! I didn't know Tom Davis had died.

And of course Don Pardo. I suppose his seems more appropriate, at such a great age. And Danitra Vance! Wow.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

37. Tom Davis was one-half of Franken and Davis.

As in Senator Al Franken. They were a comedy duo way back when on SNL. Or was it Second City?

[bvf]

27. He wasn't connected with SNL, but

was associated with a number of the above via National Lampoon:

Doug Kenney (1946 - 1980)

RIP Jan Hooks.

[Stargazer09]

4. Too young

She was so fun to watch on SNL.

[yuiyoshida]

5. Sorry to hear this...

She had a great big smile, and was very funny, talented. Its strange they do not reveal why or how she died, but she will be missed.

[ellie]

7. No! I am so sorry to hear this!

She was hilarious as Hillary Clinton on SNL.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

8. Most underrated SNL cast member ever

Was held back the boys club of 80s SNL. Had she been on the show in more receptive years, she would have surpassed Fey, Shannon and Poehler in fame easily.

[bullwinkle428]

39. Great point - her work absolutely measured up to the others you mentioned.

[MADem]

43. Who remembers her LOVE IS A DREAM bit with Phil Hartman? You can see it at this link....

http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/watch-jan-hooks-and-phil-hartman-in-the-weird-gorgeous-1644570315

[cemaphonic]

46. Yeah, that was a neat clip

Almost like one of those odd non-comedic scenes from the first season of SNL that was very out of place in its late-80s formula.

Hooks and Hartman were always great together.

[cemaphonic]

47. That, and also it was one of the best casts that SNL ever had

Hard for anybody to be a real breakout with that group, unlike say Eddie Murphy or Will Ferrell who carried a few seasons almost single handedly. Plus, one of her best comedic talents was as a straight (wo)man. Hard to do well, and essential for good comedy, but doesn't get the glory.

[mac56]

50. I agree. Always have said that

the cast of Carvey, Dunn, Hartman, Hooks, Lovitz, Jackson, Miller, Myers, and Nealon was every bit as good as the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players (Aykroyd, Belushi, Chase et al).

[Arugula Latte]

9. Damn! I loved her!

Sweeney Sisters forever! Clang, clang, clang went the trolley!

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

10. Great in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

Yes, there are thousands and thousands of ways to prepare corn...all of which I will tell you about right now!

[Tom_Foolery]

11. Very funny lady. RIP...

[Botany]

12. a real talent

[nolabear]

13. Good grief. So MANY SLN greats have died young!

Michael O'Donoughue, John Belushi, Phil Hartman, John Candy, Gilda Radner, And now Jan Hooks.

May they all rest in peace, but dammit, we could use them around here.

[Ampersand Unicode]

17. John Candy was from "SCTV"

Also a great comedy show that aired briefly on NBC. SCTV stood for Second City Television, named for the Toronto branch of the iconic Chicago troupe. Launched the careers of several great Canadian comic-actors like John Candy, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas ("like Molson, eh?&quot , Martin Short (pre-SNL), Catherine O'Hara (the mom from Home Alone), and Eugene Levy. A few of the cast members were Americans, namely Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, and the late Harold Ramis (RIP).

SCTV aired in Canada before becoming a cult classic on NBC, where it unfortunately got overshadowed by the keystone sketch comedy show, SNL.

John and Harold will not be forgotten either.

[nolabear]

25. I'm sorry; I meant Chris Farley.

I adored SCTV! I lived in Pittsburgh when it was on and it was always funny to hear them sneak in references, like Count Floyd's perpetual horror film "The Creature from West Mifflin."

[dhill926]

14. ah man….loved her...

one of my favorite cast members. Said in the LA Times she died from a serious illness.

[Cooley Hurd]

18. This is crushing news...

She was one of the bright spots in the 1986-1992 era (compared to waste-of-spaces Victoria Jackson and Dennis Miller). Cross gently, Jan and thank you for the numerous laughs you gave me.

[PSPS]

19. She got her start with Bill Tush's show on the old "Superstation WTBS 17" in Atlanta (1980)

She played a lot of different characters in this skit show, like this one:

[TracieLynn]

34. I missed this before

posting my memory of her on that show. We were big fans, even named a dog Darla after her character, The Ravishing Darla on it.

[mdbl]

20. Hope she can hear me thank her for all the smiles

What a great entertainer. Loved her in everything she was doing.

[colsohlibgal]

21. Too Young, Too Young

Just incredibly sad news. What a crap shoot life is. Some people live to 100 despite themselves, others get the short end of the stick and die early from some fatal disease.

[valerief]

31. And some get shot by cops for absolutely no reason at all. nt

[valerief]

22. I loved when Hooks and Dunn did the Sweeney Sisters on SNL.

http://www.vidoosh.tv/play.php?vid=14781

http://vimeo.com/34046077

[Aristus]

28. Her Tammy Faye Baker was hilarious, too.

[Dpm12]

29. This genuinely fucking sucks...

...that LOVE IS A DREAM sketch she did on SNL is now more sad.

[BeyondGeography]

30. She really gave us lots of much needed laughs

Good summary of her SNL work here:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jan-hooks-is-hilarious-classic-739747?mobile_redirect=false

[TracieLynn]

32. Does anyone

else remember her from Bill Tush's show on TBS back in its early days? Her character was The Ravishing Darla. We named a dog Darla after her. Her passing makes me quite sad.

[AverageJoe90]

35. Indeed. =( BTW, TracieLynn, welcome to DU.

[TracieLynn]

36. Thank you!

Glad to be here!

[Hissyspit]

49. Oh, yes.

She did an early version of her Tammie Faye Bakker on it.

[Skittles]

33. sorry to hear this

she was very talented and had a wickedly awesome smile

[MADem]

41. Such a shame. I enjoyed her work.

I was grateful for videotape, as I was abroad during much of her SNL tenure, but I was very popular amongst my peers, as I had family who cared enough to send me several tapes (always including SNL) each week.

[YOHABLO]

44. Just one of the funniest women ever. Started watching her early on TBS way back ..knew she'd go far.

She had a real gift at poking fun at Southern Culture, to say the least is pretty funny itself. All these years I have been a fan and am so sorry to hear that she has left us. People that funny always have big hearts .. and that's the truth.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

45. Her Bette Davis video will is brilliant

https://screen.yahoo.com/video-000000540.html

[amb123]

48. So beautiful, so talented, so warm

and now dead way before her time. Sad day.