Family, friends, and fans are in a period of mourning after it was announced that Norm Macdonald has died following a nine-year cancer battle, and among them are the people with whom he made Dirty Work. Released in 1998, Dirty Work is a cult classic comedy directed by Bob Saget. Macdonald and Artie Lange starred in the movie as two friends who launch their own revenge-for-hire business.
In recent years, there had been talk of the gang getting back together to shoot a Dirty Work sequel. It just wasn’t meant to be in light of Macdonald’s sudden passing. For his part, Saget had known Norm MacDonald for several decades, going back to when Norm was a teenage aspiring comic. Taking to Instagram, Saget posted a photo of himself with Macdonald, along with a message of tribute for his late friend. You can look at the photo below.
In the caption, Bob Saget writes: “Devastated. Met Norm in Ottawa when he was in my audience at 17 years old. Been close for decades. We have lost a comedic genius. No other voice in comedy has been as uniquely prolific, brazen, dark, hilarious, and heartfelt. Love you forever, Norm.Verified Devastated. Met Norm in Ottawa when he was in my audience at 17 years old. Been close for decades. We have lost a comedic genius. No other voice in comedy has been as uniquely prolific, brazen, dark, hilarious, and heartfelt. Love you forever, Norm.”
Lange had also been good friends with Norm in addition to his Dirty Work co-star. On Instagram, Artie Lange also posted a photo of himself with Macdonald from happier times. The comedian wrote in the caption, “I will miss you forever!”
Dirty Work also brought in many notable comedy stars for special appearances alongside Macdonald and Lang. This includes late comedian Chris Farley in his final movie role. Other guest stars include Jack Warden, Christopher McDonald, Chevy Chase, John Goodman, Don Rickles, Rebecca Romijn, Gary Coleman, and Adam Sandler. Sandler was also among the many celebrities paying tribute to Macdonald after his passing.
“Every one of us loved Norm,” Sandler tweeted. “Some of the hardest laughs of my life with this man. Most fearless funny original guy we knew. An incredible dad. A great friend. A legend. Love u pal.”
Every one of us loved Norm. Some of the hardest laughs of my life with this man. Most fearless funny original guy we knew. An incredible dad. A great friend. A legend. Love u pal. pic.twitter.com/2Pftw28uPc
— Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) September 14, 2021
Over the summer, Bob Saget teased that Dirty Work could finally be getting a sequel. Appearing for an interview with The Rizzuto Show in July, Saget said there were ongoing discussions about Dirty Work 2, going on to explain how its chances were looking better than ever. As Saget noted, “I talk to Norm quite a bit, and Artie, and it’s a pretty cool thing if it goes, which is looking very nice.” In 2020, Saget also said that they had gotten some “permission from the big cheeses” to work on the movie.
“I talked to Artie probably six months ago, I think,” Macdonald said of the potential sequel in 2018. “He’s all over the place, Artie. So it’s hard to know where he’s at. Because sometimes I think he’s really in trouble, then he’s on a TV show, he’s on Crashing and he still does stand up. So it’s very hard to know exactly where he is right now, Artie. He’s always in my thoughts, you know.”
Dirty Work is one of those movies that didn’t do so hot when it was first released, but has since built up a strong cult following. The comedy is currently streaming on HBO Max for fans looking to give it a watch. Rest in peace, Norm Macdonald.