‘Saturday Night Live’ Stars Who Died Before Their Time

• Jan Hooks (1957-2014)

  Jan Hooks served in the cast from 1986-1991, where she impersonated stars Hillary Clinton, Sinead O'Connor and Nancy Reagan. She died Oct. 9 at the age of 57. See some of her best sketches here.

• John Belushi (1949-1982)

  Belushi's name will forever be synonymous with SNL thanks to his many memorable sketches, including his work with Dan Aykroyd as The Blues Brothers. He was on SNL from 1975-1979, where he appeared in the show's first sketch ever and starred in classics such as Samurai Hotel. He was found dead of a drug overdose on March 5, 1982 at Chateau Marmont. He was 33. 

• Andy Kaufman (1949–1984)

  Andy Kaufman appeared in 16 episodes of SNL, including the series debut. During his time at SNL, he played Foreign Man and challenged women to wresting matches. He died of complications stemming from lung cancer in 1984 at the age of 35, though rumors have popped up over the years that he faked his death as an elaborate and long running hoax. 

• Gilda Radner (1946-1989)

  Radner worked on SNL for the show's first five years, starring in parody ads like "Hey You Cologne" and "Jewess Jeans" and playing Emily Litella, who would appear to comment on issues during Weekend update. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the 1980s, penning a memoir about her experiences called It's Always Something. She died of cancer on May 20, 1989 at the age of 42.

• Michael O’Donoghue (1940-1994)

  O'Donoghue was the first head writer for the show and occasionally performed onscreen. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage on Nov. 8, 1994 at the age of 54. In addition to his work on SNL, he also helped found The National Lampoon.

• Danitra Vance (1954-1994)

  Danitra Vance was a castmember for one season from 1985-1986. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, she incorporated the experience of having a mastectomy into a skit called "The Radical Girl's Guide to Radical Mastectomy." She died of cancer in 1994 at the age of 35. 

• Chris Farley (1964-1997)

  Who can forget Chris Farley's Chippendales routine, being Adam Sandler's lunch lady muse or that "van down by the river"? Farley served as a castmember from 1990-1995, and died Dec. 18, 1997 of a drug overdose. 

• Phil Hartman (1948-1998)

  Hartman served a castmember from 1984-1994, cultivating dozens of regular characters and impressions — including Bill Clinton. Hartman's death shocked fans, when he was killed by his wife Brynn in a murder suicide. He died May 28, 1998 at the age of 49.

• Charles Rocket (1949-2005)

  Rocket went down in SNL history by dropping an f-bomb during a sketch parodying the Dallas shooting of J.R. Asked how it felt to be shot, Rocket improvised the line: " Oh, man, it's the first time I've ever been shot in my life. I'd like to know who the f— did it."  Rocket was fired along with most of the cast after serving on the 1980-1981 season. In 2005, Rocket died at the age of 56. His death was ruled a suicide. 

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