R.I.P. ‘Saturday Night Live’ Announcer Don Pardo, 1918-2014

Legendary Saturday Night Live announcer and NBC mainstay Don Pardo has passed away at the age of 96. Pardo worked at NBC for over 60 years and became one of the more iconic things about SNL, missing only one season of the show in 1981-82. Pardo retired from NBC in 2004, but continued to provide the opening to SNL through the end of last season. From Deadline:

His voice was familiar to generations of Amercians on radio and TV, commercials and game shows, news and sports. On the original version of Jeopardy!, host Art Fleming would start the show with “Thank you, Don Pardo” and tease winners with, “Don Pardo, tell him what he’s won!” His game show credits also include The Price Is Right, Jackpot and Three On A Match and He began his announcing career at NBC Radio as a war reporter during World War II and remained at the network his entire life. Pardo was the man who informed NBC Radio listeners about the assassination of President Kennedy.

You might also remember Pardo’s memorable voice from his appearances in ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic’s “I Lost On Jeopardy!” and Frank Zappa’s “I’m The Slime.” It’ll be weird to see an SNL opening without him, but you’d have to think that they’d keep his voice for the title of the show at least. If the Yankees can do it with Bob Sheppard, I think Lorne Michaels can do it with Don Pardo.

(Via Deadline / Variety)

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