Louie Anderson Dies: ‘Baskets’ Emmy-Winner & Stand-Up Comic Was 68
Emmy-winning comedic actor Louie Anderson has died. He was 68.
Anderson passed away in Las Vegas on January 21 where he had entered the hospital earlier that week for extra care for a form of cancer known as diffuse large B cell lymphoma. The star’s diagnosis had only been made public earlier this month.
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The actor and stand-up comedian made a big impact as a funnyman over the years, but among the roles he’s best known for is Christine Baskets, the mother to Zach Galifianakis‘ twin brothers Chip and Dale in FX‘s offbeat comedy Baskets. In 2016, Anderson took home the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his turn as the Baskets matriarch and was nominated in the same category in the two years following his win.
Among Anderson’s most recent TV credits were parts in HBO Max‘s Search Party as a lazy lawyer, BET‘s Twenties, Young Sheldon, and No Activity. The actor also reprised his role as Maurice in 2021’s Coming 2 America, the sequel to the 1988 original, Coming to America in which he worked at McDowell’s alongside Eddie Murphy‘s Prince Akeem.
Anderson was also a two-time Daytime Emmy Award winner for his show Life with Louie, an animated TV series chronicling his childhood. And for a while, he helmed the beloved game show series Family Feud. His other TV credits include The Louie Show, Drunk History, Scrubs, Nash Bridges, Ally McBeal, Touched by an Angel, and Grace Under Fire.
Along with the Coming to America films, Anderson’s movie work includes Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Wrong Guys among others.
