Associated Press
TORONTO — Joe Flaherty, a comedian who helped start the Canadian sketch series “SCTV,” has passed away. He was 82.
According to his daughter Gudrun, Flaherty died on Monday after a short illness.
Flaherty, originally from Pittsburgh, spent seven years at The Second City in Chicago before moving to Toronto to help create the theater’s outpost there.
He starred in “SCTV” alongside John Candy and Catherine O’Hara, portraying characters like network boss Guy Caballero and the vampiric TV host Count Floyd.
Flaherty received Emmys in 1982 and 1983 for his writing on “SCTV” and continued to work in television and movies for many years.
He also appeared as a heckler in the 1996 film “Happy Gilmore” and as a traditional father in the TV show “Freaks and Geeks” from 1999 to 2000.
Flaherty had a strong connection to Toronto, working as an artist-in-residence at Humber College.
In a statement on Tuesday, his daughter described him as an extraordinary man with a deep passion for old movies, particularly those from the ’40s and ’50s. Her father treasured his time on “SCTV” and was proud of its success and the talented cast.