Louie Anderson, best known for his role in ‘Baskets’ has died at the age of 68. He was diagnosed with cancer. Glenn Schwartz, his longtime publicist, announced that the Emmy Award winner had died in the Las Vegas hospital, from cancer-related complications. Anderson had a kind of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Pauly Shore, the actor and comedian had provided an update on Anderson’s deteriorating health on Thursday, saying, “I say this with a heavy heart just left the hospital in Las Vegas where Louie Anderson his sisters and close friend were kind enough to let me say my goodbyes”.

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Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Anderson got three Emmy nods for his unlikely role as a mother to twins in ‘Baskets’. Anderson played the part of Christine Baskets, while Zach Galifianakis appeared as the twins. 

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Speaking of this role, Louie had said, “My goal is that when you watch me, you might say, ‘That’s Louie Anderson,’ but within a few minutes I completely disappear and Christine completely emerges”. He further elaborated that his ability to pull off the gender-switching role was possible since he incorporated the memories of his mother, Ora Zella Anderson, in his standup acts. 

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However, Louie’s debut as a comic was in ‘The Tonight Show’, where he appeared alongside Johnny Carson, in 1984. Since then, he has been a familiar face on television, hosting ‘Family Feud’, when the game show was revived. Louie had this gig from 1999 to 2002, apart from making appearances in other late-night talk shows and comedy specials. 

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Anderson was also well known for creating the cartoon, ‘Life with Louie’, where he lent his voice to an animated version of himself. The role won him two Daytime Emmy Awards. The comedian has also appeared in shows like ‘Scrubs’, ‘Touched by an Angel’ and was most recently seen in 2021. He was in the sequel to Eddie Murphy’s ‘Coming to America‘ and had also appeared in the 1988 movie. Louie also authored four books, including ‘Hey Mom: Stories for My Mother, But You Can Read Them Too’.