Louie Anderson, the comedian and award-winning star of FX's Baskets, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 68.
Anderson's death was confirmed Friday to Deadline by his publicist. He was recently hospitalized in Las Vegas to undergo treatment for lymphoma. Actor and comedian Pauly Shore said Thursday he had just left the hospital, where Anderson's "sisters and close friend were kind enough to let me say my goodbyes."
In recent years, Anderson was perhaps best known for playing the mother of Zach Galifianakis' characters on the FX comedy Baskets, a role that earned him acclaim and an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2016. He thanked his mother, whom he said inspired the performance, at the time. "I'm playing my mom," he said. "This is her award. I'm stealing every little nuance she had."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Anderson performed stand-up comedy for decades, having made his debut on the The Tonight Show in the 1980s, Deadline notes. Outside of Baskets, he appeared in films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Coming to America, and the sequel Coming 2 America, as well as shows like Search Party. He also created the animated series Life with Louie, which drew on his childhood, and hosted Family Feud for three years.
Comedy Central paid tribute to Anderson as a "warm and hilarious presence in comedy," while actor Michael McKean reflected that Baskets was "such a phenomenal 'second act'" for him, adding, "I wish he'd gotten a third."
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictatorIn the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
Crossword: September 13, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
